Alternative name: Santo Starling
- Aplonis santovestris
Identification
18cm.
- Dark brown forehead and crown with slight gloss
- Dark rusty brown upperparts
- Dark brown tail
- Brownish throat, chestnut-brown underparts
- Whitish eye
- Brownish-black bill with paler tip
- Light brown to flesh-coloured legs
Female is similar but has a duller rufous plumage. Juveniles undescribed.
Distribution
Endemic to the island of Espiritu Santo in northern Vanuatu.
A poorly known species, not often seen by ornithologists.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Cloudforest in mountains above 1200m.
Behaviour
Feeds on fruit, seeds and insects.
Usually encountered foraging singly or in pairs in understorey.
Reported as nesting in low tree holes and laying two eggs. No other information.
A resident species.
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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Mountain Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 31 May 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Mountain_Starling
