Alternarive names: Rose-coloured Starling, Rosy Pastor
- Pastor roseus
Sturnus roseus
Identification
21cm. A medium-sized Starling.
- Rose-pink body with glossy black crested head, neck, wings, vent and tail
- Pink legs
- Orange/pink short and stout bill in summer, brown in winter
- Pink parts sullied grey in winter
Photo by jandok
Lauwersmeer, Netherlands
Sexes similar, females are a bit duller and have a shorter crest. Juveniles don't have a crest. They have sandy-brown upperparts, dark, pale-fringed wings, a dark tail and whitish underparts. Their bill is yellowish. The pale rump and the dark patches under the wing show in flight.
Similar Species
Juvenile resembles a pale young Common Starling, but can be identified by the pink legs and paler plumage.
Distribution
 |
Breeds regularly from southern Ukraine east over the central Asian steppes to Kazakhstan, Western Mongolia and south to eastern Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and northwest China. Occasionally further west to Eastern Europe and as a vagrant in western Europe. Most birds winter in India and Sri Lanka. |
| Legend • S. roseus; breeding range |
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1], which is sometimes placed in the genus Sturnus.
Habitat
Steppe and open agricultural land.
Behaviour
Gregarious, forming flocks with Common Starling.
Breeding
Nests in holes in walls, among stones on open ground. Breeds colonial, some colonies with thousands of birds.
Diet
Its diet includes grasshoppers and other insects.
Vocalisation
High-pitched rapid chatter when feeding in flocks.
<flashmp3>Sturnus roseus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
- Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
- Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rosy Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rosy_Starling
External Links
