The chestnut-tailed starling, 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.
Region
South Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Himalayan foothills and northeastern India through Bangladesh and Myanmar to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, with winter movements into peninsular India. It frequents open woodlands, forest edges, groves, orchards, parks, and cultivated landscapes with scattered trees. Often found near villages and towns where fruiting trees are available. Prefers mosaic habitats rather than dense interior forest. Uses tree cavities for nesting in both natural and human-modified areas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the grey-headed starling, this species ranges across the Indian subcontinent into mainland Southeast Asia, with many populations moving seasonally to peninsular India in winter. It often nests colonially in tree cavities, including old woodpecker holes and nest boxes. The formerly included white-headed Malabar population is now treated as a separate species, the Malabar starling.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with swift, direct flight
Social Behavior
Gregarious outside the breeding season, often forming noisy flocks that roam between fruiting trees and communal roosts. Nests colonially or semi-colonially in cavities, frequently reusing holes originally made by woodpeckers or barbets. Both sexes participate in nest preparation and feeding the young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A varied series of chattering notes, squeaks, and warbling phrases delivered from perches in the canopy. Calls include sharp chips and metallic trills, often given in chorus within flocks.
Plumage
Smooth, sleek plumage with a grey head and paler face, warm brown upperparts, and paler underparts with chestnut tones toward the tail. Tail and undertail show rich chestnut contrasting with darker central feathers. Wings are dusky with lighter edges, giving a slightly scaled look at rest.
Diet
Takes a mix of fruits and insects, feeding heavily on figs, berries, and cultivated fruits when available. In the breeding season it increases insect intake, gleaning beetles, caterpillars, and other invertebrates from foliage and bark. Also sips nectar from flowering trees and occasionally hawks insects in short sallies.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the canopy and mid-story of open woodland, orchards, and along forest edges. Frequently visits fruiting and flowering trees in parks, gardens, and agricultural areas.
