Sturnidae Starlings
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
Many people know these birds best from the few species that have been introduced all over the world, and most are surprised to learn of their tremendous variety in Africa and Asia. On average mynas are heavier and stockier than starlings, but the huge variation in body proportions in this family blurs the distinction. Dark-colored species predominate in both groups, but some species are boldly colored in yellows and purples, often iridescent, and many possess bizarre wattles, crests, and long ornamental tails. Several are accomplished vocalists, renowned for their powers of mimicry. Many starlings pry open the substrate with their long, straight bills while foraging, allowing them to see down into stems and sod in pursuit of their invertebrate prey.
Habitat
Sturnids live in a wide variety of habitats, from arid savanna and scrubland, farmland, and grasslands through urban areas to temperate and tropical forests.
Diet and Foraging
The diets of this family are highly diverse, and many species may be most accurately described as omnivorous, taking everything from nectar and many types of fruit to insects and small vertebrate prey, including fish and bird eggs. Though certainly some in this diverse group are dietary specialists, most are probably food opportunists.
Breeding
Starlings and mynas are typically monogamous, although some species can be facultatively polygynous. Among the monogamous starlings, a number are cooperative breeders, especially in species nesting in the seasonally harsh African savanna. Many starlings and mynas are cavity-nesters, with most using cavities that had been previously excavated by woodpeckers, barbets, and others. Some, however, build nests in the shape of open cups or globes. The nest itself, whether built inside a cavity or not, is typically constructed of grass, leaves, twigs, and other plant materials, sometimes including mud. Sturnids typically lay 1 to 6 eggs. In many starlings and mynas, both sexes are active in nest construction, incubation, and feeding the chicks, but in many of the African species, only the female incubates. In cooperatively breeding species, helpers participate only in feeding the chicks; they generally take no part in nest construction or incubation. Incubation takes about 13 to 17 days, and nestlings are in the nest for about 16 to 28 days. The larger mynas are on the long end of both of these periods. After they leave the nests, fledglings are fed by parents for a week to many months.
Conservation Status
Habitat loss and introduced predators are the main threats facing sturnids, 17 species of which (14%) are of conservation concern (9 NT, 4 VU, 1 EN, 3 CR). Many of these threatened species have restricted ranges, some occurring only on small islands, where these threats are particularly harmful. The critically endangered Bali Myna Leucopsar rothschildi was naturally found only on the island of Bali, where overwhelming pressure from illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade has made a sustainable wild population impossible. The species is apparently being sustained only by captive breeding in zoos and private collections, and introductions to non-native islands with smaller human populations are being attempted. A similar situation exists in nearby islands for the only slightly less rare Black-winged Myna Acridotheres melanopterus. The critically endangered Pohnpei Starling Aplonis pelzelni is limited to a single small island in the South Pacific, where it has very rarely been seen in surveys and is feared extinct. Habitat loss, hunting, and introduced rats are all likely factors in its demise. A number of other sturnids, all Pacific island endemics, have gone extinct in the recent past, including the Norfolk Island Starling Aplonis fusca, Mysterious Starling Aplonis mavornata from a single island in the Cook Islands, and Reunion Starling Fregi lupus varius.
Systematics History
The starlings and mynas are part of the superfamily Muscicapoidea of the oscine passerines (Alström et al. 2014). Within this superfamily, Sturnidae has consistently been found to be sister to Mimidae (Barker et al. 2004, Cibois & Cracraft 2004, Zuccon et al. 2006, Lovette & Rubenstein 2007, Reddy & Cracraft 2007, Johansson et al. 2008b, Treplin et al. 2008). The Philippine Rhabdornis creepers, at one time placed in their own family, are embedded within Sturnidae (Cibois & Cracraft 2004, Zuccon et al. 2006, Lovette & Rubenstein 2007) and are often accorded their own subfamily, Rhabdornithinae (Cracraft 2014).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
75.2%
|
---|---|
Near Threatened |
6.4%
|
Vulnerable |
3.2%
|
Endangered |
3.2%
|
Critically Endangered |
2.4%
|
Extinct in the Wild |
0%
|
Extinct |
4.8%
|
Not Evaluated |
0%
|
Data Deficient |
0%
|
Unknown |
4.8%
|
Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information