White-cheeked Starling

White-cheeked Starling
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Spodiopsar cineraceus

Malay Name: Perling Pipi Putih

Chinese Name: 灰椋鸟

Range: Breeding range includes Russia, China, Japan and Korean Peninsula; non-breeding range includes southeastern China.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 22-24 cm

Identification: Rather uniform brownish-grey body with conspicuous white ear coverts and forehead. Pale belly and vent with white rump. Bill and legs yellow to orange.

Habitat: Open habitat.

Behaviour/Ecology: Gregarious, mostly forages on ground. 

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

White-cheeked Starling Spodiopsar cineraceus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Early date 16 Jan 2020
Late date 25 Apr 2021
Another rare vagrant starling. Favours open grassland habitats, sometimes joining other starlings in mixed flocks.
White-cheeked Starling at Picadilly, Seletar. Photo credit: Adrian Silas Tay
White-cheeked Starling at Aichi, Japan. Photo credit: Keita Sin
White-cheeked Starling at Picadilly, Seletar. Photo credit: Francis Yap
White-cheeked Starling at Holland Plain, 24 April 2021. Photo credit: George and Julia Presanis

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (White-cheeked Starling)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Spodiopsar cineraceus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22710896A94265691.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). White-cheeked Starling. Retrieved on November 1, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/white-cheeked-starling.

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