Images attached to GBIF records (field photographs), from . Open licences; click for the record.
Micronesian Starling
Aplonis opaca (Kittlitz, 1833)
Also calledCarolinen-Star (deu) · Estornino de Micronesia (spa) · Karolinen-Star (deu) · Karolinenstar (deu) · Micronesische Purperspreeuw (nld) · Mikronezijski čvorak (srp) · Mikronezya Sığırcığı (tur) · Sali (cha) · Storno di Micronesia (ita) · Stourne de Micronésie (fra) · Såli (cha) · drudwen Micronesia (cym) · estornell de Micronèsia (cat) · estorninho-micronésio (por)
The Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Micronesia, from the Northern Mariana Islands to Palau and all the way into eastern Micronesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is the only native frugivore existing on Guam.
Micronesian starlings are bold around humans and will follow humans as they approach seabird colonies to take the eggs as the seabirds are scared away. They are known as såli in Chamorro and gapl'uw in Yapese; other indigenous names may also exist across Micronesia.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
Distribution
Breeding regions are PO. Breeding subregions are Mariana and Caroline is. (w, c Micronesia).
IOC World Bird List, v
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
What it does
Micronesian starlings consume fruit, seeds, the occasional insect and the eggs of seabirds. The majority of plants they eat fruit from are native to the islands they inhabit. They are a key seed disperser in Mariana Islands forests. Their diet seems to be consistent year-round. Nestlings, juveniles, and adults have similar diets, with the exception of papayas, which are eaten by adults and juveniles but rarely by nestlings.
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Aplonis opaca in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2489038.