CreatureData

Samoan starling

Aplonis atrifusca (Peale, 1849)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 141 g to 146 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca)
Photo: Peale, 1848 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the samoan starling

Weight
141 g – 146 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
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the samoan starling live?

Not recorded

What is the samoan starling?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca) is a large starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands. The species has a dark brown, glossy appearance, with a long bill. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forest on volcanic islands, where it is common and more conspicuous than the Polynesian starling, which is found in the same habitat. Vocalizations include various whistles and other sounds. This starling feeds on a variety of fruits, especially guava, and insects. Little is known of its mating or social habits, but it appears to nest year-round, in tree cavities. Its eggs are pale blue.

From the Wikipedia article “Samoan starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samoan_starling&oldid=1347770207), 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 samoan starling endangered?

The samoan 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. What the categories mean.

How is the samoan starling classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySturnidae
  6. genusAplonis
  7. SpeciesAplonis atrifusca (Peale, 1849)

Synonyms Aplonas atrifusca, Aplonis artifusca, Lamprotornis atrifusca

Other names and names in other languages (31)
  • estornell de SamoaCatalan
  • špaček samojskýCzech
  • drudwen SamoaWelsh
  • Samoa TræstærDanish
  • SamoastarGerman
  • Samoa-StarGerman
  • samoa sturnoEsperanto
  • Estornino SamoanoSpanish
  • Estornino de SamoaSpanish
  • samoankottarainenFinnish
  • Stourne de SamoaFrench
  • szamoai énekesseregélyHungarian
  • Storno di SamoaItalian
  • Storno delle SamoaItalian
  • サモアカラスモドキJapanese
  • samojinis aplonisLithuanian
  • SamoapurperspreeuwDutch
  • samoastærNorwegian
  • skworczyk samoańskiPolish
  • estorninho-da-samoaPortuguese
  • estorninho-de-samoaPortuguese
  • Самоанский аплонисRussian
  • Самоанский скворецRussian
  • majna záhradnáSlovak
  • Samoanski čvorakSerbian
  • samoastareSwedish
  • Samoa SığırcığıTurkish
  • шпак-малюк самоанськийUkrainian
  • 黑辉椋鸟Chinese
  • 薩摩亞銅綠輝椋鳥Chinese
  • 銅綠輝椋鳥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the samoan starling

Other species in the same genus Aplonis.

CompareSamoan starling vs Asian glossy starlingSamoan starling vs Metallic starlingSamoan starling vs Polynesian starlingSamoan starling vs Kosrae starling

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the samoan starling?

An adult samoan starling weighs 141 g – 146 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the samoan starling endangered?

The samoan 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 samoan starling?

The samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca) 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). Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/samoan-starling

MLA

“Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/samoan-starling.

BibTeX
@misc{samoan_starling_2026,
  title = {Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/samoan-starling},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}