White-cheeked Starling - BirdForum Opus

Sturnus cineraceus

Photo by Marysan

Description

9.5" (24 cm.) Sexes similar. Head and throat black with white grizzling, the latter concentrated in white cheek patches; back, lower breast and belly dark gray; wings dark gray with blackish primaries, a narrow white wing-bar on secondaries; vent and rump white, the latter noticeable in flight; tail blackish-gray, with white tips on outer feathers. Female a bit paler and duller colored. Bill yellow with a black tip, feet orange. Juvenile head gray with white cheeks and throat.

== Habitat:== Prefers open country and cultivated areas with scattered trees.

== Range:== Siberia south through China and Japan to N Indochina, N Myanmar, and the Philippines. Breeds in N and E China and Japan, winters further south.

== Voice:== A creaky chir-chir-chay-cheet-cheet.

== Discussion:== A common bird, replacing the Common Starling in the Far East. Forages in flocks, feeding largely on the ground. Also known as Gray Starling, Grey Starling, Ashy Starling.

Identification

Photograph shot in Uchihata, Japan.