CreatureData

Micronesian starling

Aplonis opaca (Kittlitz, 1833)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 82.4 g to 83.9 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca)
Photo: Peter · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the micronesian starling

Weight
83.4 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2 – 3src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
3src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the micronesian starling live?

Not recorded

What is the micronesian starling?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Micronesia, from the Northern Mariana Islands to Palau and all the way into eastern Micronesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is the only native frugivore existing on Guam.

Micronesian starlings are bold around humans and will follow humans as they approach seabird colonies to take the eggs as the seabirds are scared away. They are known as såli in Chamorro and gapl'uw in Yapese; other indigenous names may also exist across Micronesia.

Micronesian starlings breed year-round. Both parents care for their young, nesting in cavities. They demonstrate significant aggression when defending nests, especially for older nestlings.

From the Wikipedia article “Micronesian starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Micronesian_starling&oldid=1314265218), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the micronesian starling endangered?

The micronesian starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the micronesian starling classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySturnidae
  6. genusAplonis
  7. SpeciesAplonis opaca (Kittlitz, 1833)

Synonyms Aplonas opaca, Lamprothornis opaca, Lamprotornis opaca

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • estornell de MicronèsiaCatalan
  • SaliChamorro
  • SåliChamorro
  • špaček mikronéskýCzech
  • drudwen MicronesiaWelsh
  • Mikronesisk TræstærDanish
  • KarolinenstarGerman
  • Carolinen-StarGerman
  • Karolinen-StarGerman
  • mikronezia sturnoEsperanto
  • Estornino de MicronesiaSpanish
  • mikronesiankottarainenFinnish
  • Stourne de MicronésieFrench
  • karolina-szigeteki énekesseregélyHungarian
  • Storno di MicronesiaItalian
  • カラスモドキJapanese
  • mikronezinis aplonisLithuanian
  • Micronesische PurperspreeuwDutch
  • mikronesiastærNorwegian
  • skworczyk mikronezyjskiPolish
  • SioahkPohnpeian
  • estorninho-micronésioPortuguese
  • Микронезийский аплонисRussian
  • Микронезийский скворецRussian
  • majna mikronézskaSlovak
  • Mikronezijski čvorakSerbian
  • mikronesisk stareSwedish
  • Mikronezya SığırcığıTurkish
  • шпак-малюк мікронезійськийUkrainian
  • 花輝椋鳥Chinese
  • 密克羅尼西亞輝椋鳥Chinese
  • 花辉椋鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the micronesian starling

Other species in the same genus Aplonis.

CompareMicronesian starling vs Asian glossy starlingMicronesian starling vs Metallic starlingMicronesian starling vs Polynesian starlingMicronesian starling vs Kosrae starling

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the micronesian starling?

An adult micronesian starling weighs 83.4 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the micronesian starling endangered?

The micronesian starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the micronesian starling?

The micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca) belongs to the family Sturnidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/micronesian-starling

MLA

“Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/micronesian-starling.

BibTeX
@misc{micronesian_starling_2026,
  title = {Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/micronesian-starling},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}