| Grosbeak starling | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Grosbeak starling at Pinasungkulan, North Sulawesi, Indonesia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Scissirostrum Lafresnaye, 1845 |
| Species: | S. dubium |
| Binomial name | |
| Scissirostrum dubium (Latham, 1801) | |
| Synonyms | |
Lanius dubium (protonym) | |
Thegrosbeak starling (Scissirostrum dubium), also known as thegrosbeak myna,finch-billed myna, orscissor-billed starling, is a species ofstarling in the familySturnidae. It ismonotypic in the genusScissirostrum.[2] It isendemic toSulawesi,Indonesia,[1] where its naturalhabitat istropicallowland, and sometimessubtropicalmontane, lightly woodedforest areas andwetlands.[1] It is threatened in the wild by habitat loss, and by birds being captured for thecagebird trade.[3]
This species nests in colonies, which frequently contain hundreds of pairs. Its nests are bored in rotting or dying tree trunks in woodpecker style. It eats fruit, insects, and grain.[2] Grosbeak starlings are highly vocal, at their colonies and in feeding flocks.[2]
The grosbeak starling was first described by the English ornithologistJohn Latham in 1801 under thebinomial nameLanius dubium.[4]
New populations, derived from escaped cagebirds, have been found breeding inKalimantan inBorneo, and inJava.[3]
Media related toScissirostrum dubium at Wikimedia Commons
