Black-winged Myna Acridotheres melanopterus Scientific name definitions

Until recently, this attractively and boldly marked starling, whose native range is basically confined to Java and Bali, was generally believed to be reasonably common. In fact, a rapid and sustained decline throughout the species’ range since around the middle of the last century has brought the Black-winged Starling to the brink of extinction, largely the result of uncontrolled trapping for the cagebird trade, a problem which now tragically afflicts a great many Indonesian songbirds. Three different races are recognized (and sometimes treated as species) and all are perilously close to extinction, especially the nominate race, while the majority of both of the other races are now largely restricted to a small number of national parks. Away from the Greater Sundas, an introduced population survives in Singapore, and has served as the subject of a couple of studies of the species. More intriguingly, there are also specimens from the late 1890s (including a juvenile, suggesting local breeding) and a sight record in the early 1990s, on the island of Lombok, in the Lesser Sundas, where the Black-winged Starling’s status remains unresolved.