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Passeriformes
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Sturnidae
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Aplonis
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Pohnpei Starling Aplonis pelzelni Scientific name definitions

Adrian J. F. Craig, C. J. Feare, and Christopher J. Sharpe
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated July 30, 2015

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

16 cm. Small dull starling lacking iridescence in plumage. Head and upperparts are sooty brown, paler brown on rump and uppertail-coverts; wing and tail also pale brown; throat and underparts pale brown, washed with olive-brown; iris brown; bill and legs black. Sexes alike. Juvenile is similar to adult but lighter brown, particularly on underparts.

Systematics History

Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Pohnpei, in E Caroline Is.

Habitat

Forest in mountains, above c. 500 m; formerly more widespread and extending to lowlands.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Diet mainly fruits, also seeds and insects. Berries taken from shrubs; some insect food and seeds collected on ground. Normally forages in pairs.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Call described as a shrill "see-ay" with bell-like quality.

Breeding

Female in breeding condition in Jul. Said to nest in tree hole and to lay 2 eggs; confirmation required. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife CR Critically Endangered

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Restricted range species: present in East Caroline Islands EBA. This species was not found in a survey in 1983 and was thought to be extinct, until a specimen was obtained in 1995 (1); also several unconfirmed reports. A seven-day expedition in 2008 failed to find the bird, as did a thorough survey of the island in 2010. Has declined drastically; in 1930, over a three-month period, 60 specimens were collected. Habitat loss, hunting and possible predation by rats (Rattus) may account for decline. The probability that it remains extant has been calculated as between 0.06 and 0.36 (2).

Distribution of the Pohnpei Starling - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Pohnpei Starling

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Craig, A. J. F., C. J. Feare, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Pohnpei Starling (Aplonis pelzelni), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pohsta1.01
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American Bird Conservancy American Ornithological Society Audubon Panamá A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute Armonia Bolivia Asociación Ornitológica de Costa Rica (AOCR) Aves Argentinas Avibase Aves Honduras Aves Uruguay Birds Caribbean Bird Count India Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada CIPAMEX Clan Thamnophilus IUCN SSC Heron Specialist Group Conservación de Islas Corbidi Fundación Ñankulafkén Guyra Paraguay Instituto Humboldt Lynx Malaysian Bird Report Mujeres y Naturaleza Oikonos Oriental Bird Club Ornithological Society Of The Middle East The Caucasus And Central Asia RED DE OBSERVADORES DE AVES Y VIDA SILVESTRE DE CHILE Roberts Birds Save Brasil Sociedad Ornitològica de Córdoba Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - Museo Zoología Alfonso L. Herrera Union Venezolana De Ornitologos Universidad San Francisco de Quito - Ecuador