Description:

Distinctive small starling with long wispy crest formed by elongate and hackled crown feathers. Myna-like profile. White sides and tip to dark tail, and uniform wings without white wing patch. Adult has black crest, and rufous-orange sides of head and underparts. Has yellowish bill with blue base, and blue or yellow skin behind eye.

Distribution:

Uncommon and erratic summer visitor to lower valleys of Diamer, Gilgit, Nagar and Hunza districts. Found in open deciduous forest, scrub, and cultivated areas near human habitation; fond of waterlogged areas. Lowlands and hills, to 2200 m.

Behavior:

Forages extensively on ground, especially in moist grassland, walking rather than hopping; feeds also in small groups in flowering and fruiting trees, and hunts insects in canopy. Diet includes small to large insects and other invertebrates, fruit and berries, flowers and nectar.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Brahminy Starling in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Brahminy Starling

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.