Wildlifeof Vietnam
White-cheeked Starling
Starlings & Mynas
Photo: (c) Lawrence Hylton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Spodiopsar cineraceus
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit and insects such as mole crickets
Habitat
Most common in lowland areas; nest in a hole in a tree or building, or a nestbox
Range
Breeds in central and north-east China, Korea, Japan and south-east Siberia; winters south to southern and eastern China, South Korea, southern Japan, Taiwan and northern Vietnam
Clutch size
4–9 eggs, often two clutches per season
Incubation period
14–15 days; young fledge 13–15 days after hatching
Size
24cm
The white-cheeked starling, or grey starling, is a starling native to eastern Asia, 24cm long, and a common and well-known bird in much of its range. The adult male is mainly dark grey-brown with a paler belly and a whitish band across the rump, a blackish head with whitish cheeks and forehead, pale orange legs and an orange bill with a black tip (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds in central and north-east China, Korea, Japan and south-east Siberia, with birds from colder regions migrating south in winter, vagrants reaching Thailand and Myanmar. The breeding season lasts from March to July, often with two clutches of four to nine eggs, incubated for 14 to 15 days. The nest is in a hole in a tree or building or in a nestbox. The source read does not name Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the White-cheeked Starling eat?
- Fruit and insects such as mole crickets
- What habitat does the White-cheeked Starling live in?
- Most common in lowland areas; nest in a hole in a tree or building, or a nestbox
- Where is the White-cheeked Starling found?
- Breeds in central and north-east China, Korea, Japan and south-east Siberia; winters south to southern and eastern China, South Korea, southern Japan, Taiwan and northern Vietnam
- How many eggs does the White-cheeked Starling lay?
- 4–9 eggs, often two clutches per season
- How long are the eggs of the White-cheeked Starling incubated?
- 14–15 days; young fledge 13–15 days after hatching
- How big is the White-cheeked Starling?
- 24cm