Polynesian starling
Aplonis tabuensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
The polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 60 g to 62.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the polynesian starling
- Weight
- 60 g – 62.5 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
- 2.4src for Young per litter or clutch
- 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 polynesian starling live?
Not recorded
What is the polynesian starling?
The Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis) is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands and Wallis and Futuna. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and tropical moist forests. Various subspecies exist throughout this wide range, some darker in coloration and some lighter. Its call is a raspy buzz or rattle. Diet is fruit and insects.
On islands where the Samoan starling is present, the Polynesian starling is less conspicuous and keeps to the forest, feeding on harder, less edible fruit.
From the Wikipedia article “Polynesian starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polynesian_starling&oldid=1315024260), 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 polynesian starling endangered?
The polynesian starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- 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 Least Concern species.
How is the polynesian starling classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySturnidae
- genusAplonis
- SpeciesAplonis tabuensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Synonyms Aplonas tabuensis, Lanius tabuensis
Other names and names in other languages (30)
- estornell de PolinèsiaCatalan
- špaček polynéskýCzech
- drudwen PolynesiaWelsh
- Polynesisk TræstærDanish
- SüdseestarGerman
- polinezia sturnoEsperanto
- Estornino de PolinesiaSpanish
- polynesiankottarainenFinnish
- Stourne de PolynésieFrench
- déltengeri énekesseregélyHungarian
- Storno polinesianoItalian
- Storno di PolinesiaItalian
- タテジマカラスモドキJapanese
- polinezinis aplonisLithuanian
- Polynesische PurperspreeuwDutch
- polynesiastærNorwegian
- skworczyk polinezyjskiPolish
- estorninho-polinésioPortuguese
- Полинезийский аплонисRussian
- Полинезийский скворецRussian
- majna tichomorskáSlovak
- Polinezijski čvorakSerbian
- söderhavsstareSwedish
- polynesisk stareSwedish
- MisiTongan
- Polinezya SığırcığıTurkish
- шпак-малюк полінезійськийUkrainian
- 玻利輝椋鳥Chinese
- 波里尼西亞輝椋鳥Chinese
- 玻利辉椋鸟Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the polynesian starling
Other species in the same genus Aplonis.

Asian glossy starling
Aplonis panayensis

Metallic starling
Aplonis metallica
Kosrae starling
Aplonis corvina

Micronesian starling
Aplonis opaca
Tasman starling
Aplonis fusca

Long-tailed starling
Aplonis magna
ComparePolynesian starling vs Asian glossy starlingPolynesian starling vs Metallic starlingPolynesian starling vs Kosrae starlingPolynesian starling vs Micronesian starling
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the polynesian starling?
An adult polynesian starling weighs 60 g – 62.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the polynesian starling endangered?
The polynesian 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 polynesian starling?
The polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - 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). Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/polynesian-starling
“Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/polynesian-starling.
@misc{polynesian_starling_2026,
title = {Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/polynesian-starling},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}