CreatureData

Socotra starling

Onychognathus frater (P. L. Sclater & Hartlaub, 1881)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The socotra starling (Onychognathus frater) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 100 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater)
Photo: Rod Waddington · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the socotra starling

Weight
100 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
rockysrc 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 socotra starling live?

Not recorded

What is the socotra starling?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Socotra island, which is off the southeast coast of Yemen.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and rural gardens.

The Socotra starling builds its nests in the hollow branches of Socotra's dragon blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari). In addition to feeding on grasshoppers and figs, the bird also eats the berries of the dragon blood tree and helps disperse the tree's seeds.

From the Wikipedia article “Socotra starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Socotra_starling&oldid=1379847840), 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 socotra starling endangered?

The socotra 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 socotra starling classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySturnidae
  6. genusOnychognathus
  7. SpeciesOnychognathus frater (P. L. Sclater & Hartlaub, 1881)

Synonyms Amydrus frater, Onychognathus blythii frater

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Socotra chestnut-winged starlingEnglish
  • Socotra chestnut-winged starlingEnglish
  • SOSTEnglish
  • estornell de l'illa SocotraCatalan
  • špaček sokoterskýCzech
  • drudwen SocotraWelsh
  • SocotrasortstærDanish
  • SokotrastarGerman
  • Sokotra-StarGerman
  • sokotra sturnoEsperanto
  • Estornino de SocotoraSpanish
  • sokotranrakkeliFinnish
  • Etourneau de SocotraFrench
  • Rufipenne de SocotraFrench
  • sokotranski čvorakCroatian
  • socotrai dalosseregélyHungarian
  • Storno di SocotraItalian
  • ソコトラテリムクJapanese
  • sokotrinis ilgauodegis varnėnasLithuanian
  • SocotraspreeuwDutch
  • sokotrastærNorwegian
  • czarnotek sokotrzańskiPolish
  • estorninho-de-socotraPortuguese
  • estorninho-de-socotoráPortuguese
  • Сокотранский скворецRussian
  • Сокотранский длиннохвостый скворецRussian
  • liskavec sokotranskýSlovak
  • Čvorak sa SokotreSerbian
  • sokotraglansstareSwedish
  • Sukutra KızılkanadıTurkish
  • моріо сокотрійськийUkrainian
  • 索岛栗翅椋鸟Chinese
  • 索科特拉栗翅椋鳥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the socotra starling

Other species in the same genus Onychognathus.

CompareSocotra starling vs Tristram's starlingSocotra starling vs Red-winged starlingSocotra starling vs Somali starlingSocotra starling vs Pale-winged starling

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the socotra starling?

An adult socotra starling weighs 100 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the socotra starling endangered?

The socotra 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 socotra starling?

The socotra starling (Onychognathus frater) 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). Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/socotra-starling

MLA

“Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/socotra-starling.

BibTeX
@misc{socotra_starling_2026,
  title = {Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/socotra-starling},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}