Asian Glossy Starling

Every now and then you'll happily find animals that are surviving and adapting well to the modern world. Birds, rabbits, skunks, and even foxes and deer can be found happily scampering around suburban neighborhoods and when you get down to it they pretty much leave everyone alone and fit right in.

Among the many birds that have adapted to urban environs are the Asian glossy starling. It is found - as you might expect - in Asia and specifically in Taiwan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Although their traditional habitat is the tropical and subtropical forests many of them have moved into the towns and cities.

The birds are recognizable by their glossy black feathers which have a blue green iridescence and by their bright red eyes. They live on fruit and insects and are quite vocal birds chattering away as they gather in large flocks. To date they are not considered under threat but like all birds may be declining in population.

References and Further Reading

"Asian Glossy Starling - Aplonis panayensis", IUCN Red List.

"Asian Glossy Starling - Aplonis panayensis", Nicole Bouglouan, Oiseaux-Birds.

"Asian Glossy Starling", Oiseaux

"Asian Glossy Starling", Nicole Bouglouan, Animalia.

"Toucanet", Encyclopedia Britannica.