Rose-coloured Starling: Pastor roseus (formerly Sturnus roseus)

Rose-coloured Starling
Pastor roseus (formerly Sturnus roseus)

 

Rose-coloured Starling.  Rose-coloured pastor. Rosy Starling. Pastor roseus. And, formerly classified as Sturnus roseus.

 

Thought to be more closer to Mynas than to Common Starling or Spotless Starling, Sturnus roseus was reclassified as Pastor roseus.

 

It's the size of a Myna, about 20 centimetres in length. A Passeriform belonging to the Family Sturnidae.

 

Rosy Starling is a winter migrant on the Indian subcontinent and as summer approaches, they emigrate northwards to Central Asia and sometimes as far as Europe.

 

Congregations of Rose-coloured Starlings tend to move northwards along with blossoming of coral trees in those areas whose nectar they favour, and the breeding of grasshoppers whom they also relish.

 

The crest of males is less prominent and  and rose coloured feathers duller in winters when they are not breeding. During the breeding season the crest and rose colour is exaggerated. Females have shorter crests and duller feathers overall.

These birds favour open spaces, agricultural or rocky, and move in congregations.

This here was a member of one such noisy group in Kumbhargaon, hopping from tree to tree.

 

Photographed at Kumbhargaon, Maharashtra, India on 19th January, 2014.

 

Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm VR Lens