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This article is about the bird family. For other uses, see Starling (disambiguation).
Starlings
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Passeri
Family: Sturnidae
Rafinesque, 1815
Genera

Nearly 30, see text. The European Starling, Common Starling or just Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, is a Passerine Bird in the family Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. SongBird is a Dutch Record label owned by Tijs Verwest and Arny Bink Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, as he is known in Europe ( October 22 1783 - September 18 1840) was a nineteenth-century Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for Starling, sturnus. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Starlings occur naturally in the Old World, from Europe, Asia and Africa, to northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. Several species live around human habitation, and are effectively omnivores. Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary Many species search for food by opening the bill after probing it into dense vegetation; this behavior is called "open-bill probing" or is referred to by the German word "zirkeln" (pronounced [ˈtsɪʁkl̩n]).

Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Most species nest in holes, laying blue or white eggs. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum.

Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Distinguish from Miner and Minor. The mynas (also spelt mynahs) are birds of the Starling family Iridescence is an Optical phenomenon in which Hue changes with the angle from which a surface is viewed Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures

The shortest-bodied species is Kenrick's Starling (Poeoptera kenricki), at 15 centimetres (6 in), but the lightest-weight species is Abbott's Starling (Poeoptera femoralis), at 34 grams (1. UserPolbot. -->The Kenrick's Starling ( Poeoptera kenricki) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. UserPolbot. -->The Abbott's Starling ( Cinnyricinclus femoralis) is a species of Starling in the For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. 2 oz). This article is about the unit of mass For the unit of force see Pound-force. The largest starlings are the mynas of the genus Mino, especially the Yellow-faced (Mino dumontii) and Long-tailed Mynas (Mino kreffti). Distinguish from Miner and Minor. The mynas (also spelt mynahs) are birds of the Starling family Mino is a genus of Mynas Birds in the Starling family These are the largest of the starlings and are found in tropical moist lowland Forests UserPolbot. -->The Yellow-faced Myna ( Mino dumontii) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae The Long-tailed Myna ( Mino kreffti) is a member of the Starling family These mynas can exceed 30 centimetres (1 ft) and weigh over 225 grams (8 oz). A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit

Contents


Starlings have diverse and complex vocalizations, and have been known to imbed sounds from their surroundings into their own calls, including car alarms, and human speech patterns. In Mathematics, an embedding (or imbedding) is one instance of some Mathematical structure contained within another instance such as a group This article is about the Electronic device. For the Kim Possible episode see Car Alarm (TV Episode. The birds can recognize particular individuals by their calls, and are currently the subject of research into the evolution of human language. A human language is a Language primarily intended for communication among Humans The two major categories of human languages are Natural languages and [1]

Systematics

The starlings belong to the superfamily Muscicapoidea, together with thrushes, flycatchers and chats, as well as dippers which are quite distant and Mimidae (thrashers and mockingbirds). Taxonomic rank ( rank, category, taxonomic category is an abstract term used in the Scientific classification, or Taxonomy, of organisms Chats (formerly sometimes known as Chat-thrushes are a group of small Old World insectivorous Birds formerly classed as members of the thrush family Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the Bird family Cinclidae The mimids are the New World family of passerine Birds Mimidae, that includes Thrashers Mockingbirds Tremblers The latter are apparently the Sturnidae's closest living relatives, replace them in the Americas, and have a rather similar but more solitary lifestyle. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America They are morphologically quite similar too - a partly albinistic specimen of a mimid, mislabelled as to suggest an Old World origin, was for many decades believed to represent an extinct starling (see Rodrigues Starling for details). The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism Albinism (from Latin albus, "white" see extended etymology) is a form of hypopigmentary Congenital disorder, The Rodrigues Starling ( Necropsar rodericanus) also known as White Mascarene Starling, is a hypothetical species whose existence is based on an old travel report

The oxpeckers are sometimes placed here as a subfamily, but the weight of evidence has shifted towards granting them full family status as a more basal member of the Sturnidae-Mimidae group, derived from an early expansion into Africa. The oxpecker consists of two species of Bird which make up the family Buphagidae; some ornithologists regard them as a Subfamily Buphaginae In Biological classification, family ( Latin In Phylogenetics, a basal Clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade it appears at the base of a cladogram

Usually the starlings are considered a family, as is done here. Sibley & Monroe (1990) included the mimids in the family and demoted the starlings to tribe rank, as Sturnini. In Biology, a tribe &mdashor infrafamily&mdashis a Taxonomic rank between family and Genus. This treatment was used by Zuccon et al. (2006). However, the grouping of Sibley & Monroe (besides leaving the subfamily rank vacant) is overly coarse due to methodological drawbacks of their DNA-DNA hybridization technique and most of their proposed revisions of taxonomic rank have not been accepted (see for example Ciconiiformes). DNA-DNA hybridization generally refers to a Molecular biology technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between pools of DNA sequences Taxonomic rank ( rank, category, taxonomic category is an abstract term used in the Scientific classification, or Taxonomy, of organisms Traditionally the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large long-legged wading birds with large bills Storks Herons Egrets The all-inclusive Sturnidae grouping is all but noninformative as regards biogeography, and obscures the evolutionary distinctness of the three lineages. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of Biodiversity over Space and Time. Establishing a valid name for the clade consisting of Sibley/Monroe's "pan-Sturnidae" would nonetheless be desirable to contrast them with the other major lineages of Muscicapoidea. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor

Starlings probably originated in the general area of the East Asia, perhaps towards the southwestern Pacific, as evidenced by the number of plesiomorphic lineages to occur there. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry Expansion into Africa appears to have occurred later, as most derived forms are found there. In Phylogenetics, a trait is derived if it is present in an organism but was absent in the last common ancestor of the group being considered An alternative scenario would be African origin for the entire "sturnoid" (as per Zuccon et al. 2006) group, with the oxpeckers representing an ancient relict and the mimids arriving in South America. The term relict is used to refer to surviving remnants of natural phenomena This is contradicted by the North American distribution of the most basal Mimidae. In Phylogenetics, a basal Clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade it appears at the base of a cladogram (Cibois & Cracraft 2004, Zuccon et al. 2006)

As the fossil record is limited to quite Recent forms, the proposed Early Miocene (about 25-20 mya) divergence dates for the "sturnoids" lineages must be considered extremely tentative. The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and In Astronomy, Geology, and Paleontology, mya or " mya " is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Given the overall evidence for origin of most Passeri families in the first half of the Miocene, it appears to be not too far off the mark however. SongBird is a Dutch Record label owned by Tijs Verwest and Arny Bink The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 (Zuccon et al. 2006)

Recent studies (Cibois & Cracraft 2004, Zuccon et al. 2006) identified two major clades of this family, corresponding to the generally drab, often striped, largish "atypical mynas" and other mainly Asian-Pacific lineages, and the often smaller, sometimes highly apomorphic taxa which are most common in Africa and the Palearctic, usually have metallic coloration, and in a number of species also bright carotinoid plumage colors on the underside. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor Distinguish from Miner and Minor. The mynas (also spelt mynahs) are birds of the Starling family Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to Carotenoids are organic Pigments that are naturally occurring in Chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic Organisms Inside this latter group, there is a clade consisting of species which, again, are usually not too brightly-colored, and which consists of the "typical" myna-Sturnus assemblage. Sturnus is a Genus of Starlings. As discussed below the Taxonomy of this group is complex and other authorities differ considerably in

Interestingly, the Philippine creepers, a single genus of 3 species of treecreeper-like birds appear to be highly apomorphic members of the more initial radiation of the Sturnidae (Zuccon et al. The Philippine creepers or rhabdornises are small passerine Birds The family is endemic to the Philippines. The treecreepers (Certhiidae are a family of small Passerine birds widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and Sub-Saharan Africa Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry 2006). While this may seem odd ad first glance, their placement has always been contentious. In addition, biogeography virtually rules out a close relationship of Philippine creepers and treecreepers, as neither the latter nor their close relatives seem have ever reached the Wallacea, let alone the Philippines. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of Biodiversity over Space and Time. Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water Straits from the Asian and Australian The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Nonetheless, their inclusion in the Sturnidae is not entirely final and eventually they may remain a separate family.

Genus sequence follows traditional treatments. This is apparently not entirely correct, with Scissirostrum closer to Aplonis than to Gracula for example, and Acridotheres among the most advanced genera. Acridotheres is a Genus of Starlings the "typical" Mynas, which are tropical members of the family Sturnidae Too few taxa have already been studied as regards their relationships however, and thus a change in sequence has to wait.

The upcoming review by Lovette & Rubenstein (in press) promises to resolve most uncertainties (though not the most pressing question: how Sturnus will be split up). Until it has been published, the following list should be considered preliminary.

Oriental-Australasian clade

The Polynesian Starling, Aplonis tabuensis, ranges from the Solomon Islands to Tonga.
The Polynesian Starling, Aplonis tabuensis, ranges from the Solomon Islands to Tonga. UserPolbot. --> The Polynesian Starling ( Aplonis tabuensis) is a species of Starling in the The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles
Hill mynas, Gracula sp.
Hill mynas, Gracula sp. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Mino is a genus of Mynas Birds in the Starling family These are the largest of the starlings and are found in tropical moist lowland Forests UserPolbot. -->The Yellow-faced Myna ( Mino dumontii) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Golden Myna ( Mino anais) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae family The Long-tailed Myna ( Mino kreffti) is a member of the Starling family UserPolbot. --> Basilornis is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Sulawesi Myna ( Basilornis celebensis) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Helmeted Myna ( Basilornis galeatus) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Long-crested Myna ( Basilornis corythaix) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae Gracula is a genus of Mynas tropical members of the Starling family of Birds This genus has representatives in tropical southern

Afrotropical-Palearctic clade

Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens)
Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens)

Unresolved

The extinct Mascarene starlings are of uncertain relationships. UserPolbot. -->The Coleto ( Sarcops calvus) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Coleto ( Sarcops calvus) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae family Streptocitta is a Genus of large Starlings in the Sturnidae family The White-necked Myna ( Streptocitta albicollis) is a large long-tailed species of Starling in the Sturnidae family The Bare-eyed Myna ( Streptocitta albertinae) is a large long-tailed species of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Fiery-browed Myna ( Enodes erythrophris) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Fiery-browed Myna ( Enodes erythrophris) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Finch-billed Myna ( Scissirostrum dubium) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Finch-billed Myna ( Scissirostrum dubium) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae The Golden-crested Myna, Ampeliceps coronatus, is a species in the starling and myna family Sturnidae Gracula is a genus of Mynas tropical members of the Starling family of Birds This genus has representatives in tropical southern Acridotheres is a Genus of Starlings the "typical" Mynas, which are tropical members of the family Sturnidae The Bali Starling, Leucopsar rothschildi, also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna or Bali Mynah is a medium-sized (up to 25cm long stocky Sturnia is a Genus of Asian Birds in the family Sturnidae. It is sometimes merged with Sturnus Species UserPolbot. --> The Purple-backed Starling ( Sturnus sturninus) also known as the Daurian Starling UserPolbot. --> The Chestnut-cheeked Starling ( Sturnus philippensis) is a species of Starling in UserPolbot. --> The White-shouldered Starling ( Sturnus sinensis) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae The White-headed Starling ( Sturnus erythropygius) also known as the Andaman White-headed Starling, is a species of Starling in the Sturnus is a Genus of Starlings. As discussed below the Taxonomy of this group is complex and other authorities differ considerably in In Phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor but does not contain all The Wattled Starling, Creatophora cinerea, is a nomadic resident in eastern and southern Africa. UserPolbot. -->The Black-bellied Glossy-starling ( Lamprotornis corruscus) is a species of Starling in The Iris Glossy-starling, Coccycolius iris, is also known as the Emerald Starling. Lamprotornis is a large genus of glossy- Starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. The Superb Starling ( Lamprotornis superbus) is a member of the Starling family of Birds It can commonly be found in North East Africa, including UserPolbot. --> Cinnyricinclus is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Violet-backed Starling ( Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. --> Poeoptera is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Sharpe's Starling ( Cinnyricinclus sharpii) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Abbott's Starling ( Cinnyricinclus femoralis) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. --> Saroglossa is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. -->The Spot-winged Starling ( Saroglossa spiloptera) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The Madagascar Starling ( Saroglossa aurata) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. --> Spreo is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family The African Pied Starling, Spreo bicolor, is a Bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. The Fischer's Starling, Spreo fischeri, is a Bird which is an uncommon resident breeder from southern Ethiopia and Somalia to eastern UserPolbot. -->The White-crowned Starling ( Spreo albicapillus) is a species of Starling in the The Golden-breasted Starling, Cosmopsarus regius also known as Royal Starling is a medium-sized up to 35cm long Passerine in the Starling UserPolbot. -->The Ashy Starling ( Cosmopsarus unicolor) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae Onychognathus, is a genus of African Starlings All the species are quite similar and characterised by rufous primary wing feathers very obvious The Red-winged Starling, Onychognathus morio, is a Bird native to eastern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape in South Africa. UserPolbot. -->The Slender-billed Starling ( Onychognathus tenuirostris) is a species of Starling in UserPolbot. -->The Chestnut-winged Starling ( Onychognathus fulgidus) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The Waller's Starling ( Onychognathus walleri) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Somali Starling ( Onychognathus blythii) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Socotra Starling ( Onychognathus frater) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae Tristram's Starling or Tristram's Grackle ( Onychognathus tristramii) is native to Israel, Jordan, northeastern Egypt ( Sinai UserPolbot. -->The Pale-winged Starling ( Onychognathus nabouroup) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The Bristle-crowned Starling ( Onychognathus salvadorii) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The White-billed Starling ( Onychognathus albirostris) is a species of Starling in the Neumann's Starling, or Neumann's Red-winged Starling Onychognathus neumanni, is a Bird native to Africa. UserPolbot. --> Poeoptera is a genus of Starling in the Sturnidae family UserPolbot. --> The Narrow-tailed Starling ( Poeoptera lugubris) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The Stuhlmann's Starling ( Poeoptera stuhlmanni) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The Kenrick's Starling ( Poeoptera kenricki) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The White-collared Starling ( Grafisia torquata) is a species of Starling in the UserPolbot. -->The White-collared Starling ( Grafisia torquata) is a species of Starling in the The Magpie Starling, Speculipastor bicolor is 65-75 in member of the starling family from eastern Africa UserPolbot. -->The Babbling Starling ( Neocichla gutturalis) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae UserPolbot. -->The Babbling Starling ( Neocichla gutturalis) is a species of Starling in the Sturnidae In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. The Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas Archipelago) is a group of Islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius Only one species is known from specimens taken while the bird was still extant; the other remains only known from subfossil bones and apparently one early traveller's description. Subfossil refers to remains whose Fossilization process is not complete either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization The supposed "Leguat's Starling" ("Necropsar leguati") was eventually determined to be a mislabeled albino specimen of the Martinique Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis), a mimid. UserPolbot. --> The Grey Trembler ( Cinclocerthia gutturalis) is a species of Bird in the Mimidae UserPolbot. --> The Grey Trembler ( Cinclocerthia gutturalis) is a species of Bird in the Mimidae

As the avifauna of the Mascarenes is predominantly of Indian origin though as old as to be highly distinct, it is not clear to which clade these starlings belong - or even if they are indeed starlings, as the Réunion Starling at least was highly aberrant and there have always been lingering doubts about whether they are correctly placed here. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ New York Times, May 2, 2006

External links

Dictionary

starling

-noun

  1. A gregarious passerine bird, of the family Sturnidae, having dark, iridescent plumage
  2. A structure of pilings that protects the piers of a bridge

Starling

-proper noun

  1. An English surname from a nickname for a gregarious person.
  2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
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