Red-billed starling

Overview

Wikipedia

The red-billed starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in south and southeastern China.

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Distribution

Region

East and Southeast Asia

Typical Environment

Breeds widely in eastern and southern China and disperses southward in winter to warmer lowlands, with some birds reaching Taiwan and northern Indochina. It favors open countryside interspersed with trees, agricultural lands, river valleys, and suburban greenspaces. Large communal roosts form in reeds, mangroves, and city trees during the non-breeding season. It adapts readily to human presence and often exploits rice fields and orchards.

Altitude Range

0–1500 m

Climate Zone

Subtropical

Characteristics

Size21–23 cm

Wing Span34–38 cm

Male Weight0.07 kg

Female Weight0.065 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 2/5

Useful to know

The red-billed starling is a gregarious species that often forms large flocks outside the breeding season, roosting communally in urban trees and reedbeds. It adapts well to human-modified landscapes, frequently foraging in rice paddies, parks, and orchards. Its bill is reddish with a darker tip, a key feature that helps distinguish it from similar starlings. Like many starlings, it can incorporate mimicry into its varied song.

Gallery

White-cheeked starling and red-billed starling hybrid in Japan.[8]

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

strong flier with rapid, direct wingbeats

Social Behavior

Highly gregarious outside the breeding season, forming large, noisy flocks that move between feeding sites and communal roosts. Nests colonially or semi-colonially in tree cavities, building crevices, and nest boxes. Pairs are typically seasonal monogamists, with both sexes contributing to nest building and chick rearing.

Migratory Pattern

Partial migrant

Song Description

Varied warbling song with whistles, chatters, and brief mimicry of other birds. Calls include sharp chatters and metallic notes, especially at roosts and in flight.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Red-billed teal

The red-billed teal or red-billed duck is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa typically south of 10° S. This duck is not migratory, but will fly great distances to find suitable waters. It is highly gregarious outside the breeding season and forms large flocks.

Red-billed tropicbird

The red-billed tropicbird is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wings and back, a black mask and, as its common name suggests, a red bill. Most adults have tail streamers that are about two times their body length, with those in males being generally longer than those in females. The red-billed tropicbird itself has three subspecies recognized, including the nominate. The subspecies mesonauta is distinguished from the nominate by the rosy tinge of its fresh plumage, and the subspecies indicus can be differentiated by its smaller size, more restricted mask, and more orange bill. This species ranges across the tropical Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The nominate is found in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the subspecies indicus in the waters off of the Middle East and in the Indian Ocean, and the subspecies mesonauta in the eastern portions of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and in the Caribbean. It was one of the many species described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.