White-shouldered starling

The white-shouldered starling (Sturnia sinensis) is a species of bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It has children in southern China and northern Vietnam. It winters in Southeast Asia.

 Taxonomy 
The white-shouldered starling was described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin. This was in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's book, Systema Naturae. He placed it with the orioles in the genus Oriolus. He also coined the binomial name Oriolus sinensis. The specific epithet sinensis is Modern Latin for "Chinese". Gmelin based his description on "Le Kink" from China. "Le Kink" had been described in 1775 by the French polymath the Comte de Buffon. This was in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. A hand-coloured engraving by François-Nicolas Martinet was went with Buffon's text.

The white-shouldered starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study found the genus was polyphyletic. This study caused a reorganization to create monotypic genera. The white-shouldered starling was one of five starlings who were moved to the remade genus Sturnia. This genus had been made in 1837 by René Lesson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

 Description 
The white-shouldered starling has blue eyes, a grey bill, and a white patch on the shoulder. The adult male has a light brown head and breast and a white belly. The adult female is darker brown on the back and belly. This bird is usually found in large flocks.

 Distribution and habitat 
The bird can be found in Asian countries including Brunei, Cambodia, China, and India. It can also be found in Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar. Lastly, it can be found in Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The white-shouldered starling can be called the gray-backed myna, Chinese myna, Chinese starling, or Mandarin myna.

 Conservation status 
The conservation status of the white-shouldered starling is that of "Least Concern".

 References 

 BirdLife International 2004. Sturnus sinensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.

Category:IUCN Red List least concern species
Category:Pages with unreviewed translations
Category:Passeri
Category:Birds of Asia