Rosy Starling

Latin Name: 
Pastor roseus
Category: 
Size: 
24cm
Description: 

Sexes alike. Rose-pink and black plumage; glossy black head, crest, neck, throat, upper breast, wings and tail; rest of plumage rose-pink, brighter with the approach of spring migration. Gregarious; flocks often contain young birds, crestless, dull brown and sooty; often along with other mynas on flowering Erythrina and Bombax trees; causes enormous damage to standing crops; seen also around grazing cattle and damp open lands; overall an aggressive and extremely noisy bird; huge roosting colonies, resulting in deafening clamour before settling.

Habitat: 
open areas, cultivation, orchards, flowering trees amidst habitation.
Food: 
grain, insects, flower nectar.
Distribution: 
winter visitor to India, particularly common in N, W and C India; arrives as early as end of July; most birds depart around mid-April to early May; absent or uncommon east of Bihar.
Call: 
Call Description: 
very noisy; mix of guttural screams, chattering sounds and melodious whistles