''Aplonis'' is a genus of
starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
s. These are essentially island species of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
, although some species' ranges extend to the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The are ...
, southern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
and northeastern
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. The typical adult ''Aplonis'' starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or dark green, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The eye ring is often distinctively coloured. Immatures of several species have dark streaked pale underparts.
Several species have restricted ranges, and, like other island endemics, have become endangered or extinct as a result of habitat loss or introduced mammals such as rats.
The following is the list of ''Aplonis'' species in taxonomic order:
*
Metallic starling, ''Aplonis metallica''
*
Yellow-eyed starling, ''Aplonis mystacea''
*
Singing starling
The singing starling (''Aplonis cantoroides'') is a medium-sized (20 cm in length) starling.
Description
Adult singing starlings have glossy black plumage and bright red irises. Immature birds are paler, with streaked underparts and brown i ...
, ''Aplonis cantoroides''
*
Tanimbar starling
The Tanimbar starling (''Aplonis crassa'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It is ...
, ''Aplonis crassa''
*
Atoll starling, ''Aplonis feadensis''
*
Rennell starling
The Rennell starling (''Aplonis insularis'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.
The plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the ...
, ''Aplonis insularis''
*
Long-tailed starling, ''Aplonis magna''
*
White-eyed starling
The white-eyed starling (''Aplonis brunneicapillus'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Solomon Islands archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or ...
, ''Aplonis brunneicapillus''
*
Brown-winged starling
The brown-winged starling (''Aplonis grandis'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Solomon Islands archipelago. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
A forest is an area of ...
, ''Aplonis grandis''
*
Makira starling
The Makira starling (''Aplonis dichroa''), also known as the San Cristobal starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
...
, ''Aplonis dichroa''
*
Rusty-winged starling
The rusty-winged starling (''Aplonis zelandica'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or trop ...
, ''Aplonis zelandica''
*
Striated starling
The striated starling (''Aplonis striata'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country ...
, ''Aplonis striata''
*
Tasman starling, ''Aplonis fusca'' (extinct c.1923)
**
Norfolk starling
The Tasman starling (''Aplonis fusca'') was described in 1836 by John Gould as a species which occurred on both Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. In 1928 Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews recognized that the plumage of the race from Lor ...
, ''Aplonis fusca fusca'' (extinct c.1923)
**
Lord Howe starling, ''Aplonis fusca hulliana'' (extinct c.1919)
*
Mountain starling
The mountain starling (''Aplonis santovestris''), also known as Vanuatu starling, Santo mountain starling or Santo starling, is a bird species in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. It is restricted to ...
, ''Aplonis santovestris''
*
Asian glossy starling, ''Aplonis panayensis''
*
Moluccan starling
The Moluccan starling (''Aplonis mysolensis'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by ...
, ''Aplonis mysolensis''
*
Short-tailed starling
The short-tailed starling (''Aplonis minor'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mo ...
, ''Aplonis minor''
*
Micronesian starling
The Micronesian starling (''Aplonis opaca'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of ...
, ''Aplonis opaca''
*
Pohnpei starling, ''Aplonis pelzelni'' (possibly
extinct, c.2000)
*
Polynesian starling
The Polynesian starling (''Aplonis tabuensis'') is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands and Wallis and Futuna. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropi ...
, ''Aplonis tabuensis''
*
Samoan starling, ''Aplonis atrifusca''
*
Kosrae starling, ''Aplonis corvina'' (
extinct, mid-19th century)
*
Mauke starling
The Mauke starling or mysterious starling (''Aplonis mavornata'') is an extinct species of starling found on the island of Mauke, Cook Islands. The binomen is the result of Buller's misreading of the name ''inornata'' on the specimen label. As h ...
, ''Aplonis mavornata'' (
extinct, mid-19th century)
*
Rarotonga starling
The Rarotonga starling (''Aplonis cinerascens'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the Cook Islands.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
H ...
, ''Aplonis cinerascens''
*
Huahine starling, ''Aplonis diluvialis'' (
prehistoric
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
)
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q613598
Bird genera