Pink Starling - description, habitat, interesting facts

The pink starling is understood to be a rather interesting bird in terms of its external characteristics. Representatives of the family prefer to build nests in rocky terrain, as well as in the cracks of stone buildings. They are found in mountainous areas, near ravines and other places of this type. Separate couples who want solitude and a quiet existence, occupy empty hollows in the trees.

Description

1. These individuals are somewhat similar to their ordinary brethren. The difference lies only in the length of the beak, it is shorter, and overall characteristics. Pink representatives are slightly smaller. Grown up starlings differ from sebe-like contrasting color of plumage and the presence of a tuft. As for the size, on the body the birds grow up to 24 cm. With a maximum weight of 80 grams. If we consider the wingspan, it is about 40 cm.
2. In the summer and springtime the birds are characterized by a contrasting color of feathers. They can be whitish with pink patches, pure pinkish, and also black with violet or blue shimmer and a metallic sheen. The latter feature is characteristic of the brisket, head, wings, shins, thighs, and tail.
3. But the most important characteristic is the crest, falling down. The iris is brownish, the legs are pink. The bill is pigmented in pink or yellow with a dark base. It is short and not as sharp as a fellow of the ordinary type.
4. Studying the differences in gender, it is important to highlight that the representatives of the masculine and the feminine gender are practically absent. Unless the females are not so saturated in their shade, they have a short tuft and a faint gleam of plumage.
5. Young animals that have not yet passed the one-year mark cannot boast of bright and contrasting feathers. The younger generation is dim, unlike the old birds. Black-brown head, wings, tail, neck. The back is pigmented with a dirty brown tone, and purple-red inclusions are observed behind the neck. There are practically no shades of pink.
6. In the area of ​​the brisket and peritoneum there are no motley stripes, but there is an ocher color with gray markings. The tail is darkish, as well as the wings. In these areas there are rims of ocher hue. These individuals differ from ordinary young starlings in a light color, not a sharp beak, a contrasting color palette on the wings and the body itself.
7. When a bird is in flight, it is difficult not to notice or confuse it with the traditional representatives of the family. Our pink brethren are quite contrasting, the tail and wings are particularly prominent.

Habitat

1. Many birds from this breed group were observed off the coast of Turkey, as well as in Pakistan and Mongolia. The population is spread throughout Eurasia. Winter goes to Sri Lanka (India).
2. In the expanses of our homeland are rare enough due to the fact that they do not suit climatic conditions. They are also common in the Caucasus, the Volga region and the Crimea.
3. Individuals are nomads, because they are constantly in search of food. They feed on locusts. They live in the steppe zones, in the forests are rare and unpopular.

Lifestyle

1. Birds prefer to keep flocks. Birds love to live in open spaces and pastures. The main condition is that such areas must be located near water bodies. For the same reason, individuals often arrive at a watering place.
2. The invertebrates are the basis of the diet of the pink starlings. Birds hunt prey, mainly on the ground. They move in short runs or in steps. Only in rare cases can starlings catch insects on the fly.
3. Individuals love grasshoppers and locusts, and birds kill such insects in large numbers. Often one can observe the picture that flocks of birds accompany herds of cattle. In the summer of birds allow themselves to feast on the berries and seeds of plants. Sometimes birds harm vineyards.
4. Individuals try to nest in dense and rather large colonies. Often you can see that in such groups there are up to several hundred pairs of birds. Birds settle in quarries, abandoned buildings, on cliffs off the coast and embankments. Only in rare cases do they live in hollows.
5. In addition, large bird populations can be seen in places where there are flashes of a huge number of locusts and similar insects. The nest is a loose and shapeless construction.Over time, the female blows no more than 6 eggs with a bluish tint. Parents together incubate about a crescent.
6. After the young are born, the adults continue to feed them up to 20 days. After that, the chicks are on the wing and adjacent to large flocks. Further, large groups of birds begin to wander in search of food. This continues until the departure for the winter.

Breeding

1. If we take into account Central Asia, then the nesting season in such a territory falls in the middle of spring. In Southern Europe, the mating season in birds begins almost at the same time. Starlings reach sexual maturity as early as 1 year.
2. Couples build their nests in the cracks of walls, crevices of rocks, under the roofs of trees and sometimes in hollows. In such a period in the breeding colonies there may be up to several thousand individuals. The basis of the building material birds take the roots, twigs and leaves.
3. The bottom of the dwelling is lined with moss, feathers and wool. In addition, birds often put branches of bitter wormwood and ordinary ferule into the nest to scare off parasites. Parents can return to the nest for several years.contract.

In the forest-steppe these pink feathered representatives are practically not found, as well as on the territory of our country. Birds are sent for wintering in India, because the local climatic conditions are suitable for them. They differ from ordinary members of the family with smaller overall characteristics and a blunt beak. They eat locusts, love to breed in a rocky zone.

Video: Pink Starling (Sturnus roseus)