Scientific Name: Pastor roseus

IUCN Status: Least Concern

A passerine bird with glossy black plumage, holding a yellow inconspicuous beak and paler pink underparts, and is also known as a Rose-coloured Starling or a Rosy Pastor. Birds of this species are known to roost in high numbers, gathering even in the presence of other species [mixed flocks], and even breeding in colonies. A passerine that is a familiar sight in the open Steppes, has a broad range including Western Asia, former Oxiana and Transoxiana, to India and Sri Lanka, as well as parts of Europe.

The nest of the species is a collaborative effort by a breeding pair of rosy starlings, with grass and twigs being the core material but with an outer perimeter made from finer grasses and feathers. The nests are built inside crevices on many kinds of surfaces including cavities in rocks, and even man made enclosures can be nesting sites. The Rosy Starling feeds on insects, especially grasshoppers and fellow orthopterans. A full migrant, the species is also known to engage in nomadic dispersals following breeding intervals.

The rosy starlings have an IUCN status of “least concern” that is identified with the common presence of this species in native heartlands. The numbers of Rosy Starlings are estimated to be around 450,000 – 1,999,999. The sounds of the Rosy Starlings are known to be of a cacophonous chattering nature that is non-nasal and dry.

Sources: E-Bird and Data Zone by Bird Life.