Metallic Starling
Aplonis metallica
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusAplonis (Pacific Starlings)
- SpeciesAplonis metallica (Metallic Starling)
About the Metallic Starling
The metallic starling (Aplonis metallica), also known as the shining starling, is a bird in the starling family native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, Queensland and the Solomon Islands. The metallic starling was formally described and illustrated as Lamprotornis metallicus in 1824 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. He mistakenly specified the locality as Timor and Celebres but this has been corrected to the island of Ambon in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The metallic starling is now one of 24 starlings placed in the genus Aplonis that was introduced in 1836 by the English ornithologist John Gould.
Five subspecies are recognised: A. m. metallica (Temminck, CJ, 1824) – Moluccas, Sula Islands, New Guinea including Aru Islands, and northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula southward to Sarina, northern Queensland) A. m. nitida (Gray, GR, 1858) – Admiralty Islands (Rambutyo, Tong, and outer Islands), Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands
A. m. purpureiceps (Salvadori, AT, 1878) – Admiralty Islands (Manus Island and Los Negros Islands) A. m. inornata (Salvadori, AT, 1881) – Numfor and Biak (Cenderawasih Bay, off northwestern New Guinea) A. m. circumscripta... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Metallic Starling in Daintree National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Daintree National Park
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus
Australasian Figbird
Sphecotheres vieilloti
Spangled Drongo
Dicrurus bracteatus
Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides
Shining Flycatcher
Myiagra alecto
Large-billed Gerygone
Gerygone magnirostris
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Meliphaga notata
Varied Triller
Lalage leucomela
Australian Spectacled Monarch
Symposiachrus trivirgatus
Mistletoebird
Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Hornbill Friarbird
Philemon yorki
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Metallic Starling in Daintree National Park?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Metallic Starling sighting in Daintree National Park, based on 1,312 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Metallic Starling in Daintree National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Metallic Starling in Daintree National Park in our monthly data.