Sturnia sinensis
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The white-shouldered starling (Sturnia sinensis) is a species of bird in the starling family Sturnidae. It breeds in southern China and northern Vietnam; it winters in Southeast Asia. The white-shouldered starling was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the orioles in the genus Oriolus and coined the binomial name Oriolus sinensis. The specific epithet sinensis is Modern Latin for "Chinese". Gmelin based his description on "Le Kink" from China that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath the Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. A hand-coloured engraving by François-Nicolas Martinet was published to accompany Buffon's text.
The white-shouldered starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found the genus was polyphyletic. In the reorganization to create monotypic genera, the white-shouldered starling was one of five starlings moved to the resurrected genus Sturnia that had been introduced in 1837 by René Lesson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Xiamen City | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Quanzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 6 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | |
| 9 | Wenzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 10 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 5 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Green World Ecological Farm | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 8 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | Selwo Marina | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-shouldered Starling sighting in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 237th most-seen of the 244 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-shouldered Starling in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Cat Tien National Park's wettest months, with about 440 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White-shouldered Starling sightings, Cat Tien National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Taroko National Park (Taiwan, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-shouldered Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Cat Tien National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
