Moluccan Starling

The Moluccan starling is about 20 cm long, with a fairly long graduated tail. Adults are mostly black with green and purple gloss, duller wings and tail, bristly forehead feathers and pointed feathers on the neck and throat; the eye is brown and the bill and legs are black. The sexes look alike. Juveniles have a shorter tail, chocolate-brown upperparts and strong streaking below (BirdForum account citing Handbook of the Birds of the World).

Across its range it uses lowland, coastal and hill forest, mangroves, degraded woodland, scrub, cultivation and settlements that retain large trees. Fruit is documented, including an adult regurgitating fruit to a chick; insects and nectar are also reported. Birds usually occur in flocks and may associate with metallic starlings. Nesting can be colonial, with reports of colonies exceeding fifty pairs, but the opened account did not provide clutch or incubation values (BirdForum general account; Macaulay Library record).