The grosbeak starling (Scissirostrum dubium), also known as the grosbeak myna, finch-billed myna, or scissor-billed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is monotypic in the genus Scissirostrum.[2] It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia.[1]
Grosbeak starling | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sturnidae |
Genus: | Scissirostrum Lafresnaye, 1845 |
Species: | S. dubium
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Binomial name | |
Scissirostrum dubium (Latham, 1801)
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Synonyms | |
Lanius dubium Latham, 1801 |
Its natural habitat is tropical lowland, and sometimes subtropical montane, lightly wooded forest areas and wetlands.[1]
This species nests in colonies, which frequently contain hundreds of pairs. Its nests are bored in rotting or dying tree trunks in woodpecker style. It eats fruit, insects, and grain.[2] Grosbeak starlings are highly vocal, at their colonies and in feeding flocks.[2]
The grosbeak starling was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Lanius dubium.[3]