Aplonis
Encyclopedia
Aplonis is a genus of starling
s. These are essentially island species of Indonesia
, Oceania
and Australasia
, although some species’ ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula
, southern Vietnam
and northeastern Queensland
. The typical adult Aplonis starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or dark green, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The eye ring is often distinctively coloured. Immatures of several species have dark streaked pale underparts.
Several species have restricted ranges, and, like other island endemics, have become endangered or extinct as a result of habitat loss or introduced mammals such as rats.
The following is the list of Aplonis species in taxonomic order.:
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s. These are essentially island species of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, although some species’ ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and northeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The typical adult Aplonis starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or dark green, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The eye ring is often distinctively coloured. Immatures of several species have dark streaked pale underparts.
Several species have restricted ranges, and, like other island endemics, have become endangered or extinct as a result of habitat loss or introduced mammals such as rats.
The following is the list of Aplonis species in taxonomic order.:
- Metallic StarlingMetallic StarlingThe Metallic Starling also known as Shining Starling, is a bird in the starling family. It is native of New Guinea and nearby Australasian islands, and a limited area of northeastern Australia.-Description:...
, Aplonis metallica - Yellow-eyed StarlingYellow-eyed StarlingThe Yellow-eyed Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Aplonis mystacea - Singing StarlingSinging StarlingThe Singing Starling Aplonis cantoroides is a medium-sized starling.-Description:Adult Singing Starlings have glossy black plumage and bright red irises. Immature birds are paler, with streaked underparts and brown irises...
, Aplonis cantoroides - Tanimbar StarlingTanimbar StarlingThe Tanimbar Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests....
, Aplonis crassa - Atoll StarlingAtoll StarlingThe Atoll Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Aplonis feadensis - Rennell StarlingRennell StarlingThe Rennell Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands....
, Aplonis insularis - Long-tailed StarlingLong-tailed StarlingThe Long-tailed Starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to the Schouten Islands off West Papua, in Indonesia, an important area of bird endemism. The species was once treated as part of a superspecies with the Shining Starling...
, Aplonis magna - White-eyed StarlingWhite-eyed StarlingThe White-eyed Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands....
, Aplonis brunneicapillus - Brown-winged StarlingBrown-winged StarlingThe Brown-winged Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Aplonis grandis - San Cristobal StarlingSan Cristobal StarlingThe Makira Starling , also known as the San Cristobal Starling, is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is endemic to Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Aplonis dichroa - Rusty-winged StarlingRusty-winged StarlingThe Rusty-winged Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu....
, Aplonis zelandica - Striated StarlingStriated StarlingThe Striated Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to New Caledonia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Aplonis striata - Tasman StarlingTasman StarlingThe Tasman Starling was described in 1836 by John Gould as a species which occurred on both Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island...
, Aplonis fusca (extinct c.1923)- Norfolk StarlingNorfolk StarlingThe Norfolk Starling , was a small bird in the starling family. It is the extinct nominate subspecies of the Tasman Starling, the only other subspecies being the Lord Howe Starling .-Distribution:...
, Aplonis fusca fusca (extinct c.1923) - Lord Howe StarlingLord Howe StarlingThe Lord Howe Starling was a small bird in the starling family. It is an extinct subspecies of the Tasman Starling , the only other subspecies being the Norfolk Starling which is also extinct...
, Aplonis fusca hulliana (extinct c.1919)
- Norfolk Starling
- Mountain Starling, Aplonis santovestris
- Asian Glossy StarlingAsian Glossy StarlingThe Asian Glossy Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Aplonis panayensis - Moluccan StarlingMoluccan StarlingThe Moluccan Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests....
, Aplonis mysolensis - Short-tailed StarlingShort-tailed StarlingThe Short-tailed Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines....
, Aplonis minor - Micronesian StarlingMicronesian StarlingThe Micronesian Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau....
, Aplonis opaca - Pohnpei StarlingPohnpei StarlingThe Pohnpei Starling , also known as Pohnpei Mountain Starling or Ponape Mountain Starling, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct bird from the family of starlings . It is endemic to the island of Pohnpei in the Pacific Ocean. It was called "sie" by the Pohnpei islanders...
, Aplonis pelzelni (possibly extinct, c.2000) - Polynesian StarlingPolynesian StarlingThe Polynesian Starling is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in American Samoa, Samoa, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands, and Wallis and Futuna Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and tropical moist forests...
, Aplonis tabuensis - Samoan StarlingSamoan StarlingThe Samoan Starling is a large starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in American Samoa and Samoa. The species has a dark brown, glossy appearance, with a long bill. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forest on volcanic islands, where it is common and more conspicuous than the...
, Aplonis atrifusca - Kosrae Island StarlingKosrae Island StarlingThe Kosrae Island Starling, also known as Kosrae Starling, and formerly as Kusaie Mountain Starling, is an extinct bird from the family of starlings...
, Aplonis corvina (extinct, mid-19th century) - Mysterious StarlingMysterious StarlingThe Mysterious Starling or Mauke Starling was a species of starling found on the island of Mauke, Cook Islands. It is now extinct. The binomen is the result of Buller's misreading of the name inornata on the specimen label...
, Aplonis mavornata (extinct, mid-19th century) - Rarotonga StarlingRarotonga StarlingThe Rarotonga Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is endemic to the Cook Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Aplonis cinerascens - Huahine StarlingHuahine StarlingThe Huahine Starling is an extinct bird from the genus Aplonis within the starling family Sturnidae. It was endemic to the island of Huahine, in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, and therefore had the easternmost distribution of all Aplonis species in the Pacific region.-History:The Huahine...
, Aplonis diluvialis (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
) - Bay Starling, Aplonis ulietensis (extinct, 1774 to 1850; formerly considered a thrushThrush (bird)The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
) - Erromango Starling, Aplonis sp. undescr. (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
)