Black-collared Starling

Gracupica nigricollis (Paykull, 1807)

Black-collared Starling, Gracupica nigricollis, is a starling of the Oriental Region, breeding from southern China to Cambodia and Vietnam. It is a bird of grassland, dry forest and places shaped by people. Its most obvious feature is the black collar on the neck, set against a black-and-white pattern. The head is white, with bare yellow skin around the eye, while the back and wings are dark brown, almost black. The underparts are white, the tail and many wing feathers are white-tipped, and the bill is black. Males and females look the same, and young birds are browner with streaking on the neck and breast.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Sturnidae — Starlings, Rhabdornises

Breeding range

Oriental Region: s China to Cambodia and Vietnam