Saroglossa spilopterus
The Spot-winged Starling, *Saroglossa spilopterus*, is a distinctive member of the Sturnidae family, notable for its unique plumage and relatively shy demeanor compared to its more boisterous relatives. Males boast a striking glossy purplish-black to dark green upperparts, contrasting sharply with a rich chestnut belly and undertail coverts, while the female is duller with brown upperparts and streaked underparts. Its most distinctive field mark, giving the species its name, is a prominent wh...
This starling primarily inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forests, favoring forest edges and clearings. It can be found at elevations ranging from 600 to 2000 meters during the breeding season.
The diet of the Spot-winged Starling consists mainly of insects, particularly beetles, ants, and caterpillars, supplemented by a significant intake of fruits, including figs and various berries. They forage primarily by gleaning from foliage and branches in the forest canopy.
Spot-winged Starlings are diurnal and often observed in small to medium-sized, loose flocks outside the breeding season, occasionally associating with mixed-species foraging groups. They are primarily arboreal foragers, gleaning insects and fruits from the canopy and mid-story vegetation with agi...
The Spot-winged Starling has a discontinuous breeding range spanning the Himalayan foothills from Nepal eastward through Bhutan, northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam), and into parts of Southeast Asia including Myanmar, southern China (Yunnan), northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. During th...
Least Concern
- The genus name *Saroglossa* means 'flesh tongue', though the significance for this species is not entirely clear. - Its species name *spilopterus* directly translates from Greek as 'spot-winged', a perfect descriptor for its most notable field mark. - Unlike many common starlings, it is rarely ...