Bird Album
White-shouldered Starling
Sturnia sinensis (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
≈20 cmLength61 gWeight
This starling has blue eyes and a single white patch on the scapulars, and often occurs in large flocks.
Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Cambodia, Thailand
How to identify
Field marks
- Blue eyes
- Gray bill
- A single white patch on the scapulars
Male, female and young
The adult male has a pale rufous head and breast and a white belly; the adult female has darker rufous on the back and belly.
Where and when it's recorded
White-shouldered Starling has been recorded at 430 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)1,525 records
- San TinHong Kong (China)618 records
- Po ToiHong Kong (China)612 records
More places
- Kenting NP – Sheding Lingxiao Pavilion (Raptors Observation Spot)Taiwan (China)503 records
- Pingtung – Longluan Lake Northern Farmlands/WetlandsTaiwan (China)382 records
- Basco Plaza, BatanPhilippines380 records
- Kaohsiung – Qijin VTC TowerTaiwan (China)319 records
- Matsu – DongyinChina299 records
- Mai Po NR – #8b ReedbedHong Kong (China)260 records
- Matsu – Dongyin Shizi Vegetable FarmChina257 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 white-shouldered starling (Sturnia sinensis) is a species of bird in the starling family Sturnidae. It breeds in southern China and northern Vietnam; it winters in Southeast Asia.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the White-shouldered Starling?
The White-shouldered Starling is about ≈20 cm long and weighs around 61 g.
Where does the White-shouldered Starling live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: southern China to Cambodia and Vietnam. It is most often recorded in China, Cambodia and Thailand.
When is the best time to see the White-shouldered Starling?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the White-shouldered Starling endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the White-shouldered Starling as Least Concern.
What does the White-shouldered Starling eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the White-shouldered Starling in?
It belongs to the family Starlings, Rhabdornises (Sturnidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈20 cm
- Weight
- 61 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 102 mm
- Tail
- 58 mm
- Bill
- 20 mm
- Tarsus
- 26 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: southern China to Cambodia and Vietnam
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Starlings, Rhabdornises Sturnidae
- Genus
- Sturnia
Other birds in the genus Sturnia
Chestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabarica
White-headed StarlingSturnia erythropygia
Malabar StarlingSturnia blythii
Brahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarum
Metallic StarlingAplonis metallica
Yellow-eyed StarlingAplonis mystacea
Singing StarlingAplonis cantoroides
Tanimbar StarlingAplonis crassa
Atoll StarlingAplonis feadensis
Rennell StarlingAplonis insularis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Olaf Oliviero Riemer. ↗
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