• BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

    Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Rosy Starling - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 22:20, 7 July 2010 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Photo caption. References)

Alternarive name: Rose-coloured Starling

Photo by john-henry
Lesvos, Greece, May 2004
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.

A first-year bird, the type that most often occur as vagrants in western Europe
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

  1. 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.
  2. Wikipedia
  3. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
  4. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
  5. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

Recommended Citation

External Links


Top