Source: Jaehyun Rhee, taken from home with a 200mm lens
Although it does not stop by as often as the Javan Mynah, the Asian Glossy Starling is another frequent visitor to my balcony. It is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae and can be found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan (introduced) and Thailand.
As the second most abundant bird in Singapore, a large population of these Starlings inhabit towns and cities and can be seen in groups numbering up to 30. Sometimes, these social birds even group with Mynahs for a feast on fruits and berries.
Also, they are considered to be one of the noisiest species of birds, perhaps contributing the most to the cacophony in Orchard Road.
References:
- BirdLife International (2012). “Aplonis panayensis”. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- OwYong, A. (2015). Annual Bird Census 2015 | Singapore Bird Group. [online] Singaporebirdgroup.wordpress.com. Available at: https://singaporebirdgroup.wordpress.com/tag/annual-bird-census
Animals in South-East Asia 