Alternarive name: Rose-coloured Starling
- Sturnus roseus
Pastor roseus
Identification
21cm
Pink Legs
Short stout bill
Adult
Rose-pink body with glossy black crested head, neck, wings, vent and tail. Bill is orange/pink in summer, brown in winter.
Females a bit duller, with a shorter crest.
Juvenile no crest. Sandy-brown upperparts, dark, pale-fringed wings, dark tail, whitish underparts. Yellowish bill. Pale rump and 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.
Photo by jandok
Lauwersmeer, Netherlands
Distribution
Eastern Europe, Asia and India. Vagrants to western Europe.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1], which is sometimes placed in the genus Pastor.
Habitat
Steppe and open agricultural land.
Behaviour
Gregarious, forming flocks with Common Starling.
Breeding
Nests in holes in walls, among stones on open ground.
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.
- Wikipedia
- 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. (2021) Rosy Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 June 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Rosy_Starling
External Links


