Malabar Starling (Sturnia blythii)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Malabar Starling

Sturnia blythii (Jerdon, 1845)

40 gWeight

The Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii) is a species of starling found in southwestern India.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India

Where and when it's recorded

Malabar Starling has been recorded at 40 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, PookodeIndia1,356 records
  2. Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia907 records
  3. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary – UrulanthanniIndia574 records
More places
  1. Bondla Wildlife SanctuaryIndia550 records
  2. Kerala Agricultural UniversityIndia380 records
  3. Kalamassery – HMT Estate AreaIndia249 records
  4. Changaram Wetlands – EzhupunnaIndia176 records
  5. Nagarahole National Park – KabiniIndia171 records
  6. Bhandup Pumping StationIndia171 records
  7. Kerala Agricultural University – Krishi Vignyan KendraIndia146 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii) is a species of starling found in southwestern India. It was previously considered a subspecies of the chestnut-tailed starling.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Malabar Starling?

The Malabar Starling weighs around 40 g.

Where does the Malabar Starling live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: southwestern India. It is most often recorded in India.

When is the best time to see the Malabar Starling?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

What does the Malabar Starling eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Malabar Starling in?

It belongs to the family Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
40 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Partial migrant
More measurements
Wing
100 mm
Tail
65 mm
Bill
23 mm
Tarsus
23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: southwestern India

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Starlings, Rhabdornises Sturnidae
Genus
Sturnia

Other birds in the genus Sturnia

White-shouldered StarlingWhite-shouldered StarlingSturnia sinensisChestnut-tailed StarlingChestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabaricaWhite-headed StarlingWhite-headed StarlingSturnia erythropygiaBrahminy StarlingBrahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarumMetallic StarlingMetallic StarlingAplonis metallicaYellow-eyed StarlingYellow-eyed StarlingAplonis mystaceaSinging StarlingSinging StarlingAplonis cantoroidesTanimbar StarlingTanimbar StarlingAplonis crassaAtoll StarlingAtoll StarlingAplonis feadensisRennell StarlingRennell StarlingAplonis insularis
Malabar Starling

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Prajwalkm. ↗

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