White-Cheeked Starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus) lives in temperate forests across Eastern Asia. It feeds on insects and fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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Fascinating facts about the White-Cheeked Starling
At just 24 cm long, the white-cheeked starling fits on a ruler like a pocket-sized sparrow, yet it packs a bold black head, orange bill and bright orange legs that flash in city parks. Males wear a dark grey-brown back with a pale belly and a striking white band across the rump, while females look similar but duller. Juveniles start brown and lack the adult's black bill tip.
Although it prefers lowland habitats, usually below 700 m in Japan, the white-cheeked starling thrives in woodlands, farmland, open country and even city parks and gardens. This flexibility lets it exploit fruiting trees and insect swarms like mole crickets, feeding on both plant and animal protein.
Molecular work in 2008 reshaped the starling's family tree, revealing that the old genus Sturnus was polyphyletic. Scientists moved the white-cheeked starling and the red-billed starling into the resurrected genus Spodiopsar, first named by Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1889.
During the breeding season from March to July, a pair can raise two clutches, each holding four to nine eggs that sit under the parents for 14-15 days before hatching. The chicks then stay in the nest for another 13-15 days before they fledge.
The white-cheeked starling's winter trek moves from cold Siberian forests to the milder lowlands of southern China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam. One lone individual even turned up in Homer, Alaska in 1998, likely hitching a ride on a ship.
Sources
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As the sun rises over the eastern forests, the White-Cheeked Starling stirs to life, its iridescent plumage glimmering like polished onyx as it takes to the skies with a soft, melodious murmur. With a fluid, effortless motion, it glides through the air, its wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm as it navigates the intricate tapestry of branches and leaves with ease. In its wake, a trail of shimmering sound and movement is left, a testament to the starling's remarkable ability to weave itself seamlessly into the very fabric of its surroundings.
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