Asian glossy starling

Aplonis panayensis

Photo by Yap Lip Kee (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Asian glossy starling (en); estorninho-bronzeado (pt); stourne bronzé (fr); estornino bronceado (es); Malaienstar (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sturnidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Bangladesh and extreme eastern India, through southern Myanmar and southern Thailand and into southern Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi.

Size:
These birds are 20 cm long and weigh 50-60 g.

Habitat:
The Asian glossy starling is mostly found in moist tropical forests and plantations, often along forest edges and in forest clearings. They also use second growths, mangroves and other coastal vegetation, arable land, rural gardens and even urban areas. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, but also take berries, nuts, nectar and arthropods such as adult and larval beetles, caterpillars, mole crickets, grasshoppers and spiders.

Breeding:
Asian glossy starlings breed in January-August, varying among different parts of their range. They are probably monogamous and can nest either in solitary pairs or in colonies. They nest in cavities, using natural cavities, old woodpecker nests and holes in cliffs or banks, as well as nest boxes. Inside the hole they build a rough cup made of roots, grass and leaves, where the female lays 3 bluish eggs with dark markings. there is no available information on the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes.