Pohnpei starling
Aplonis pelzelni Finsch, 1876
CRCritically Endangeredsongbirds
The pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 47 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.
Quick facts about the pohnpei starling
- Weight
- 47 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the pohnpei starling live?
Not recorded
What is the pohnpei starling?
The Pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni), also known as Pohnpei mountain starling or Ponape mountain starling, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct bird from the family of starlings (Sturnidae). It is (or was) endemic to the island of Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia) in the Pacific Ocean. It was called "sie" (pronounced see-ah) by the Pohnpei islanders. It was named after the Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln (1825–1891).
From the Wikipedia article “Pohnpei starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pohnpei_starling&oldid=1379691116), 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 pohnpei starling endangered?
The pohnpei starling is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species.
How is the pohnpei starling classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySturnidae
- genusAplonis
- SpeciesAplonis pelzelni Finsch, 1876
Synonyms Aplonas pelzelni
Other names and names in other languages (35)
- Pohnpie mountain starlingEnglish
- estornell de l'illa PonapéCatalan
- špaček ponapeskýCzech
- drudwen PonapéWelsh
- PonapétræstærDanish
- Pohnpei TræstærDanish
- PelzelnstarGerman
- Pelzeln-StarGerman
- Pohnpei-SingstarGerman
- Ponapea sturnoEsperanto
- ponpeja sturnoEsperanto
- Estornino de PonapéSpanish
- ponapénkottarainenFinnish
- pohnpeinkottarainenFinnish
- Stourne de PonapéFrench
- olovasti čvorakCroatian
- ponapei seregélyHungarian
- Storno di PohnpeiItalian
- ヒメカラスモドキJapanese
- Pelcelno aplonisLithuanian
- Понапе аплонисWestern Mari
- PonapépurperspreeuwDutch
- ponapéstærNorwegian
- skworczyk karolińskiPolish
- estorninho-de-ponapéPortuguese
- estorninho-de-pohnpeiPortuguese
- Понпейский скворецRussian
- Понапейский аплонисRussian
- majna tmaváSlovak
- pohnpeistareSwedish
- Pohnpei SığırcığıTurkish
- шпак-малюк сірийUkrainian
- 暗辉椋鸟Chinese
- 暗色輝椋鳥Chinese
- 暗色輝椋鳥 滅絕?Chinese
Relatives of the pohnpei starling
Other species in the same genus Aplonis.
Asian glossy starling
Aplonis panayensis
Metallic starling
Aplonis metallica
Polynesian starling
Aplonis tabuensis
Kosrae starling
Aplonis corvina
Micronesian starling
Aplonis opaca
Tasman starling
Aplonis fusca
ComparePohnpei starling vs Asian glossy starlingPohnpei starling vs Metallic starlingPohnpei starling vs Polynesian starlingPohnpei starling vs Kosrae starling
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the pohnpei starling?
An adult pohnpei starling weighs 47 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the pohnpei starling endangered?
The pohnpei starling is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the pohnpei starling?
The pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni) 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.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pohnpei-starling
“Pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pohnpei-starling.
@misc{pohnpei_starling_2026,
title = {Pohnpei starling (Aplonis pelzelni)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pohnpei-starling},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}