Chestnut-tailed Starling
Sturnia malabarica
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusSturnia (Sturnia Starlings)
- SpeciesSturnia malabarica (Chestnut-tailed Starling)
About the Chestnut-tailed Starling
The chestnut-tailed starling (Sturnia malabarica), also called grey-headed starling and grey-headed myna is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. The species name is after the distribution of a former subspecies in the Malabar region. While the chestnut-tailed starling is a winter visitor to peninsular India, the closely related resident breeding population with a white head is now treated as a full species, the Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii).
The chestnut-tailed starling was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus malabaricus. Gmelin based his account on the "Le Martin Vieillard de la côte de Malabar" that had been described in 1782 by the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat in his book Voyage aux Indes orientales et à la Chine.
The chestnut-tailed starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found that the genus was polyphyletic... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Chestnut-tailed Starling in Bandipur National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Bandipur National Park
Brahminy Starling
Sturnia pagodarum
Malabar Starling
Sturnia blythii
Jungle Myna
Acridotheres fuscus
Southern Hill Myna
Gracula indica
Rosy Starling
Pastor roseus
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Copsychus saularis
Large-billed Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Pycnonotus jocosus
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Leptocoma zeylonica
White-browed Wagtail
Motacilla maderaspatensis
Common Tailorbird
Orthotomus sutorius
Black Drongo
Dicrurus macrocercus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 5 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 15 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 20 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 21 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 22 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 23 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 24 | Khangchendzonga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut-tailed Starling in Bandipur National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-tailed Starling sighting in Bandipur National Park, based on 111 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chestnut-tailed Starling in Bandipur National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Chestnut-tailed Starling in Bandipur National Park in our monthly data.