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.[2]
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.
[3]
Taxonomy
The Polynesian starling was
formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist
Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of
Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the shrikes in the
genusLanius and coined the
binomial nameLanius tabuensis.[4][5] The specific epithet is from the toponym
Tongatapu, one of the main islands of
Tonga.[6] Gmelin based his account on the "Tabuan shrike" that had been described in 1781 by the English ornithologist
John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had examined a specimen from "Tongo Taboo" (Tongatapu) that was held by the
Leverian Museum in London.[7] The Polynesian starling is now placed in the genus Aplonis that was introduced in 1836 by
John Gould.[8]
^Craig, P.
"Natural History Guide to American Samoa"(PDF). National Park of American Samoa, Department Marine and Wildlife Resources, American Samoa Community College. Retrieved 16 August 2009.