Daurian Starling Agropsar sturninus Scientific name definitions

16–19 cm; 100 g. Small, short-tailed starling . Male has grey head to upper mantle, small patch of glossy purple feathers on rear crown, scattered glossy purple feathers on upper mantle ; lower mantle and back glossy purple, rump white or pale brownish; scapulars glossy purple with broad white tips (prominent scapular band); brown primaries, glossy green secondaries and primary coverts , greater and median secondary coverts glossy purple with white tips ; tail black with green gloss, outer rectrices with white on outer webs; chin to breast and flanks pale grey, belly and undertail-coverts creamy white; iris dark brown; bill black in breeding season, with pale base during non-breeding; legs greenish-grey. Female differs from male in having forehead, crown and mantle mousy brown, rump paler, chin to breast and flanks pale brown, wing brown, inner secondaries paler, secondary coverts buffy white, tail brown with slight mauve gloss. Juvenile is generally grey, back brownish, lacks nape patch.

Diet primarily insects; also earthworms (Oligochaeta) and fruit , some seeds including arillate seeds of acacias. Insect food includes moths and caterpillars (Lepidoptera), flies (Diptera), and locusts and other grasshoppers (Orthoptera), alate termites (Isoptera); fruit such as Fagraea fragrans, Sambucus latipinna, Ficus. Forages on ground, by probing, also hawks insects in air; also gleans from leaves and flowers. In pairs and small groups when breeding; in non-breeding season gregarious, in small to large flocks, often with Aplonis panayensis; flocks of more than 150 individuals noted in Java in Nov and Jan. In winter communal roosts in reedbeds and trees, in Singapore together with Acridotheres tristis, Acridotheres javanicus and Aplonis panayenis, but tends to segregate with conspecifics.

Song a varied mix of whistles, trills and chatters, including some mimicry. Calls include loud crackling sounds, also soft "prrp" flight call; grating buzz followed by short sharp yap, "grzzz-kwip", noted in Korea.