The status of the Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum (Gmelin, 1789) (Aves: Passeriformes: Sturnidae) in Southeast Asia

Abstract

To date, the status of the Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum, in Southeast Asia has been unclear. The origins of the few reported sightings, where commented upon, have often been listed as ‘uncertain’ or ‘unknown’ with the implication that some, maybe all, are escaped captivity birds. The current paper brings together data on distribution, date of observation, and number of individuals to illustrate a pattern that clearly supports the view that records from Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore should be treated as ‘winter vagrants’. With one exception, they are all of five birds or less and have been observed from October to March. The paper includes the first authenticate record from Myanmar, which is the 1115th wild bird species listed for the country. However, the status of a single record from Cambodia is treated with caution since it represents a considerable range extension and was observed on 01 April, which is relatively late in the season. For these reasons, it is here listed as ‘origin uncertain’ until further data are available.

Keywords

• Brahminy Starling
• distribution
• first record
• Myanmar
• Southeast Asia
• winter vagrant.