Grosbeak starling
Species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The grosbeak starling (Scissirostrum dubium), also known as the grosbeak myna, finch-billed myna, or scissor-billed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is monotypic in the genus Scissirostrum.[2] It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia,[1] where its natural habitat is tropical lowland, and sometimes subtropical montane, lightly wooded forest areas and wetlands.[1] It is threatened in the wild by habitat loss, and by birds being captured for the cagebird trade.[3]
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| Grosbeak starling | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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) | |
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 ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Lanius dubium.[4]
New populations, derived from escaped cagebirds, have been found breeding in Kalimantan in Borneo, and in Java.[3]
