Description:

Medium-sized, short-tailed starling with crown and nape feathers lanceolate, plumage mostly blackish, variably glossed. Adult breeding is metallic green and purple. Adult non-breeding has dark bill; upperparts are heavily spangled with buff, wing feathers have broad buff fringes, and underparts are boldly spotted with white.

Distribution:

Common passage migrant and winter visitor mainly through the western half of Gilgit-Baltistan. Usually prefers open habitats below 2500m, grasslands, orchards, cultivations and around settlements. Roosting sites include reedbeds, scrub and trees.

Behavior:

Forages in small to large groups, often in huge flocks in non-breeding season; also singly and in pairs during breeding. Essentially omnivorous, diet including plant and animal material; much regional and seasonal variation, reflecting opportunistic response to environment.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of European Starling in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of European Starling

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.