The grosbeak starling (Scissirostrum dubium), also known as the grosbeak myna, finch-billed myna, or scissor-billed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is monotypic in the genus Scissirostrum.[2] It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia,[1] where its natural habitat is tropical lowland, and sometimes subtropical montane, lightly wooded forest areas and wetlands.[1] It is threatened in the wild by habitat loss, and by birds being captured for the cagebird trade.[3]
| Grosbeak starling | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Grosbeak starling at Pinasungkulan, North Sulawesi, Indonesia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Scissirostrum Lafresnaye, 1845 |
| Species: | S. dubium |
| Binomial name | |
| Scissirostrum dubium (Latham, 1801) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Lanius dubium (protonym) | |
This species nests in colonies, which frequently contain hundreds of pairs. Its nests are bored in rotting or dying tree trunks in woodpecker style. It eats fruit, insects, and grain.[2] Grosbeak starlings are highly vocal, at their colonies and in feeding flocks.[2]
The grosbeak starling was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Lanius dubium.[4]
New populations, derived from escaped cagebirds, have been found breeding in Kalimantan in Borneo, and in Java.[3]
References
edit- 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2018). "Scissirostrum dubium". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T22711001A132091764. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22711001A132091764.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 Feare, C., Craig, A., Croucher, B., Shields, C., & Komolphalin, K. 1998. Starlings and Mynas. Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-3961-X
- 1 2 Iqbal, Muhammad; Prawira, Aril Magda; Wicaksono, Gusti; Taufiqurrahman, Imam (2018-09-01). "Records of Grosbeak Starling Scissirostrum dubium from Kalimantan, Borneo, and its widespread occurrence on Java. BirdingASIA 29: 109–113". BirdingAsia. 29: 109–113. ISSN 1744-537X. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ↑ Latham, John (1801). Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae (in Latin). London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. xviii.
Media related to Scissirostrum dubium at Wikimedia Commons
 | This Sturnidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |