Purple-backed Starling at Punggol Barat

Birdie Yap‘s images show hundreds of Purple-backed Starling (Sturnus sturninus), also known as Daurian Starling, at Punggol Barat recently.

This starling is a common winter visitor as well as a passage migrant to Singapore. It breeds in East Russia, North China and Korea. During the northern winter months is moves south South China, North East India and throughout Southeast Asia to the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Sumatra and Java.

During September to October and around March, large numbers can be seen in various parts of Singapore.

Large numbers will forage in trees LINK 1 and LINK 2. In the evenings they form large flocks before settling in their roosting trees LINK 1 and LINK 2. Should they roost in the wayside trees fronting Housing Development Board’s apartment blocks, they will cause nuisance in the noise they generate before settling down for the night and in the early mornings when they prepare to leave to look for food.

Birdie Yap
Singapore
29th January 2018

This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behavior through photography and videography to a wider audience.