Sturnia blythii
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii) is a species of starling found in southwestern India. It was previously considered a subspecies of the chestnut-tailed starling. They nest in tree holes 3-15 mm above the ground. Nestlings eat insects, lepidopteran larvae, beetles, small vertebrates, and nectar.
The Malabar starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found that the genus was polyphyletic. In the reoganization to create monotypic genera, the Malabar 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. The Malabar starling was formerly considered to be conspecific with the chestnut-tailed starling (Sturnia malabarica). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kollam | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Malabar Starling sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 199 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 110th most-seen of the 235 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Malabar Starling in Kochi on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. Those are among Kochi's wettest months, with about 390 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malabar Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Malabar Starling sightings, Kochi ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Thrissur (India, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malabar Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Kochi (199 verified sightings), 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.
