Aplonis is a genus of starlings. These are essentially island species of Indonesia and Oceania, although some species' ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula, southern Vietnam and northeastern Queensland. The typical adult Aplonis starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or dark green, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The eye ring is often distinctively coloured. Immatures of several species have dark streaked pale underparts.

Aplonis
Metallic starling (Aplonis metallica)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Aplonis
Gould, 1836
Type species
Aplonis fusca[1]
Gould, 1836

Several species have restricted ranges, and, like other island endemics, have become endangered or extinct as a result of habitat loss or introduced mammals such as rats.

Taxonomy edit

The genus Aplonis was introduced in 1836 by the English ornithologist John Gould.[2] He listed two species in the new genus but did not specify which was the type species. In 1840 George Gray designated the Aplonis fusca Gould 1836 as the type. This is the extinct Tasman starling.[3][4] The genus name is from Ancient Greek haploos meaning "simple" or "plain" and ornis meaning "bird".[5]

The genus Aplonis contains 25 species. Of these three have become extinct in historical times:[6]

An additional species is known only from fossils:

References edit

  1. ^ "Sturnidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. ^ Gould, John (1837). "Aplonis". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 4 (43): 73.
  3. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 75.
  4. ^ Gould, John (1837). "Aplonis". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 4 (43): 73.
  5. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  • Feare, Chris; Craig, Adrian (1999). Starlings and Mynas. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-7136-3961-X.