Brahminy Starling

The Brahminy starling (Sturnia pagodarum) is a small, distinctive starling native to the Indian subcontinent and neighbouring parts of South Asia. Adults are roughly 19–22 cm long and weigh about 40–54 g. The black cap ends in a loose, wispy crest, contrasting with cinnamon-buff underparts, grey-brown upperparts and a dark tail tipped with white. The bill is bright yellow with a bluish base and the legs are yellow. Females resemble males but generally have a shorter crest, while juveniles are duller and lack the fully developed head plumes.

The combination of black crest, warm cinnamon body and two-coloured bill makes adults unusually distinctive among South Asian starlings. Small numbers occur as winter vagrants beyond the main range into Southeast Asia, and an introduced population occurs in the United Arab Emirates.

Brahminy starlings favour open dry woodland, scrub, farmland, gardens and settlements and readily use landscapes altered by people. Scattered mature trees, orchards and flowering or fruiting vegetation are especially important because they provide both feeding sites and cavities for nesting.

The species is not restricted to undisturbed forest and is common in agricultural and peri-urban mosaics where suitable food and nest sites remain available.

The diet is broad and includes fruit, nectar, insects and other small invertebrates. Food is taken both in trees and on the ground, and birds frequently visit flowering and fruiting plants around villages, gardens and cultivated land.

Diet changes with local availability. Fruit and nectar can be important where trees are flowering or fruiting heavily, while insects form a substantial animal component and become especially important when adults are feeding young.

Brahminy starlings are social without usually forming the enormous flocks associated with some other starlings. They are commonly seen in pairs or small family groups and may join larger gatherings where food is concentrated or outside the breeding season. Mixed groups with other starlings and mynas are also common in suitable habitat.

The vocal repertoire is varied and includes nasal or harsh calls, more musical phrases and imitation of other bird species. Flocks remain in frequent vocal contact while moving between feeding and roosting sites.

Brahminy starlings are cavity nesters. Natural tree holes are used, but the species readily adopts cavities in buildings and other artificial structures. A study conducted from 2022 to 2023 in peri-urban Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, found extensive use of man-made nesting sites by Brahminy starlings and three other starling species.

Both sexes contribute to nest construction and later feed the young. The nest is a loose structure of grasses, rootlets, feathers and other available material, and a typical clutch contains around three to four pale blue eggs. Their use of both natural and artificial cavities allows them to breed across a wide range of wooded and settled habitats.

The Brahminy starling is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List and remains widespread across a very large South Asian range.

Indian monitoring data published in 2025 give a long-term national estimate of about −23% and a recent annual estimate of about −1.3%, but both trends are classified as inconclusive. The species remains common, widespread and in the low conservation-priority category in India.