Black Collared Starling Bird Species Profile and Overview

The Black Collared Starling is a fascinating bird species that's native to the Indian subcontinent. They are known to inhabit a wide range of habitats, from urban areas to forests and grasslands.

These birds are medium-sized, with a sleek black plumage and a distinctive white throat patch. They have a black collar on their neck, which gives them their name.

The Black Collared Starling is known for its intelligence and adaptability. They are highly social birds that often live in large flocks.

They are omnivores, which means they eat a variety of foods including insects, fruits, and seeds. In urban areas, they've even been known to raid garbage bins and gardens.

The black-collared starling is a compact bird measuring around 20 centimeters in length.

Its distinctive black collar encircles its neck, contrasting against a predominantly white plumage, giving the bird its name.

The black-collared starling is a member of the starling family, characterized by its slender and sharp beak, ideal for capturing prey.

Its eyes are dark and expressive, with a distinctive yellow patch around them, adding to its enchanting appeal.

As a social bird, the black-collared starling is often found in small or large flocks, and is highly vocal, with a repertoire of melodious calls for communication and territorial defense.

These agile fliers are adept at navigating through trees and bushes to capture their prey midair.

They also forage on the ground, making them a common sight in many urban parks and gardens.

The black-collared starling is an omnivorous bird, primarily feeding on worms and insects, such as beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars.

This helps to control insect populations and benefits crops and native plant species.

During the breeding season, male birds give elaborate courtship displays and sing melodious or, more often, boisterous songs to attract mates.

Once a pair forms a bond, they construct a nest where the female lays a clutch of up to five eggs.

The black-collared starling is a striking bird, and its physical characteristics are a big part of its charm.

It's about 26-30 cm (10-12 in) long, which is a pretty standard size for a starling.

The head is white, with a distinctive yellow patch of bare skin around the eye.

The beak is black, and the legs are pale grey.

The mantle, back, and wings are dark brown, appearing almost black.

The underparts are white, often with a grey-brown tinge.

The tail and most of the covert and flight feathers are tipped white, with the primary coverts completely white.

The male and female black-collared starlings are alike in appearance.

The juvenile bird is browner and has a streaked neck and breast, and it also has an eye-patch but not a collar.

For another approach, see: Black and Brown Lab

The black collared starling can be found in southern China, stretching from Fujian to Yunnan, and extending south to several countries including Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

It has been introduced to other regions, such as Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

This species inhabits grassland, dry forest, cultivated areas, and human settlements, typically at low elevations, but can be found up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) high.

Mainly, black collared starlings live in open areas like grassland, rice stubble, cultivated fields, urban parks, and settlements.

They also inhabit dry forests and can be found in the lowlands, but have been recorded as high as 2,000m.

The black collared starling is a bird that's known for its unique behavior and breeding habits. It's a very vocal bird, with a wide range of calls that include shrill, harsh, melodious and discordant notes.

They forage on the ground, sometimes around livestock, and feed on insects, earthworms and seeds. They're also known to forage on the ground, sometimes around livestock.

Their calls are quite distinctive, and can be transcribed as a jay-like kraak kraak, a whistling prrü resembling a bee-eater, and a pü-pü-pü-pü similar to a "hesitant" rufous-capped babbler. They're a very vocal bird, with a wide range of calls.

The breeding season for black collared starlings varies by location, but it's typically from February to May in Thailand, March to July in China, and April to August in Burma. They breed often in colonies.

They build large, domed nests from twigs, grasses, feathers and flowers, which are placed on a tree and may be re-used. The nest is a large, untidy structure made of twigs, grasses and rice straw.

A single clutch consists of three to five eggs, and the pair will often preen each other, a behavior known as allopreening. Pairs also preen each other, a behaviour known as allopreening.

Nesting colonies have been observed, and the pair will often engage in courtship displays, such as facing each other with ruffled feathers and open beaks. Two courtship displays have been recorded.

The Black-collared Starling is a bird that can be found in various locations, but if you want to see it in action, you can search for photos or videos of it in the gallery.

To track the movement of this bird, you can search for photos or videos of it in the gallery, which can provide valuable insights into its behavior and habitat.

Conservation Status is a critical aspect of conservation and movement efforts.

Many species are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss and fragmentation, which can lead to reduced populations and increased extinction risk.

The IUCN Red List categorizes species based on their conservation status, with categories ranging from Least Concern to Extinct.

In some cases, conservation efforts have been successful in recovering species populations, such as the California Condor, which was downlisted from Endangered to Near Threatened.

Habitat restoration and protection are essential for maintaining biodiversity and preventing further species decline.

Movements of the Black-collared Starling are fascinating. They are known to be migratory birds, traveling in large flocks.

In fact, photos of these birds in the gallery show them flying together in V-formations, a common migratory pattern. This behavior helps them conserve energy while traveling long distances.

Search for videos of Black-collared Starlings in the gallery to see their impressive flocking behavior in action.

The black-collared starling has a fascinating scientific and common name. The species was first described by Gustaf von Paykull in 1807 as Gracula nigricollis.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus, but was separated to the genus Gracupica after phylogenetic studies in 2008. Some authorities still place it in the genus Sturnus.

The black-collared starling's common name is often simply "black-collared starling", but it's also referred to as the "black-collared myna" in some contexts.

Here are the different names by which this species is known: