Chestnut Tailed Starlings: Temenuchus malabaricus: And I thought starlings were just ugly, noisy black nuisances. I was wrong; pretty little things some of them:) This is a member of the starling family of perching birds.
It is resident or partially migratory and found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia.
They have grey upperparts and blackish wing feathers, but the colour of the remaining plumage depends on the subspecies. All subspecies have white irises and a yellow bill with pale blue base.
Youngsters have whitish underparts and just chestnut tips to the tail feathers.
The nest is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The Chestnut-tailed Starling builds a nest in hole and lays 3-5 eggs. Like most starlings, the Chestnut-tailed Starling is omnivorous, eating fruit, nectar and insects.
They fly in tight flocks and often rapidly change directions with great synchronicity.
