A very handsome bird with a long swept-back wispy crest, making him look very distinguished indeed!

Meet the Brahminy Starling

Photo Courtesy of Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0

The brahminy myna or brahminy starling (Sturnia pagodarum), is a member of the starling family of birds. This handsome bird was given the name “pagodarum” due to his habit of perching on temple pagodas in southern India. Adults have a long loose crest on the top of their heads, the forehead and crown are a shade of glossy black. The nape is cinnamon shaded with fine shaft streaks. Their upperparts, mantle, back, and rump are brown-grey. Their tail is grey-brown with white tips except for the central pair. Underparts are cinnamon, as are the sides of the neck. on their upper breast area, some pale shats have a streaked effect.

Photo Courtesy of Koshyk / CC BY 2.0

The bill is yellow with a blue base, and the legs and feet are yellow.

Females can be distinguished from males by a less prominent crest, while juveniles are duller in color with a browner crest.

Photo Courtesy of Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Brahminy starling is endemic to, and a resident breeder in Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Photo (cropped) Courtesy of Carine06 / CC BY-SA 2.0

These birds prefer dry open lowland areas, open deciduous forest, scrub, and cultivated land. They can be found near residential areas, as well as waterlogged areas.

Photo (cropped) Courtesy of Manish Kumar / CC BY-SA 4.0

Like most starlings, the Brahminy Starling is fairly omnivorous, eating a combination of fruit and insects.

Photo Courtesy of Carine06 / CC BY-SA 2.0

The breeding season for Brahminy starlings is between April and August, when a nest is built in the hole of a tree, usually one left by a woodpecker. The nest is built by both sexes from dry grass, dead leaves, and paper, lined with finer softer material. Three to five eggs are laid within and incubated for about 12 days, and fed by both parents once the chicks hatch. They become fledged after eighteen to twenty-one days.

Photo Courtesy of Lip Kee / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Brahminy Starling is locally common and may have expanded in the northern part of its range. This species is not currently considered as threatened on the IUCN list.

Photo Courtesy of J.M.Garg / CC BY 3.0

Watch and listen to this bird right here below: