Sturnia

Sturnia is a genus of Asian birds in the family Sturnidae. It is sometimes merged with Sturnus.[1]

Sturnia
Brahminy starling (Sturnia pagodarum)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Sturnia
Lesson, 1837

Species

The old genus' placement with the starlings was found to be polyphyletic, resulting in changes in the placement. A 2008 study places the following species within this genus:[2]

Extant species
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Sturnia sinensisWhite-shouldered starlingsouthern China and northern Vietnam
Sturnia malabaricaChestnut-tailed starlingIndia and Southeast Asia
Sturnia blythiiMalabar starlingsouthwest India
Sturnia erythropygiaWhite-headed starlingAndaman and Nicobar Islands
Sturnia pagodarumBrahminy starlingNepal and India, a winter visitor to Sri Lanka

Former taxonomic treatments have included:

If the first of these is included, it seems highly warranted to include in Sturnia also the monotypic genera Leucopsar (Bali myna) and Fregilupus (hoopoe starling), and perhaps the enigmatic Necropsar (Rodrigues starling). On the other hand, if these distinct genera are maintained, the white-faced starling would then receive its own genus, Sturnornis.[2]

The other two would better be dealt with by resurrecting Agropsar, either as a distinct genus or as a subgenus of Gracupica, which otherwise includes the black-collared starling ("Sturnus" nigricollis) and pied myna ("Sturnus" contra); these four form a robust and ancient group of two sister species that is perhaps even closer to the wattled starling (Creatophpora cinerea) than to the actual genus Sturnus. Their similarity to Sturnia proper is probably simply a symplesiomorphy.[2]

References
  1. Clements, J. (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. 6th edition. Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-0-7136-8695-1
  2. Zuccon, D., Pasquet, E. & Ericson, P. G. P. (2008). Phylogenetic relationships among Palearctic–Oriental starlings and mynas (genera Sturnus and Acridotheres : Sturnidae). Zoologica Scripta, 37:469–481 PDF


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