Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Abbott's starling (Poeoptera femoralis), recorded as Endangered
Abbott's starling (Poeoptera femoralis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Abbott's starling

Poeoptera femoralis

Abbott's starling is a perching bird in the family Sturnidae (order Passeriformes) — Poeoptera femoralis, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Poeoptera femoralis
Taxonomy
Aves · Passeriformes · Sturnidae · Poeoptera

Appearance

Abbott's starling has a black head and breast with white underparts and a yellow eye. Its voice is a musical whistled call moving up and down the scale.

This species, at 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long, is the smallest species of starling.

Range and habitat

It is found in Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss, and its population is estimated at 2500–9999.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

Perching birds hold with three toes forward and one back. A named island starling or leafbird in this catalog is a wild population, not a cage type.

In crisis

Abbott's starling is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As of 2020, their population is determined to be decreasing, with an estimated 1,000—2,500 mature individuals in the wild. Deforestation due to illegal logging and agriculture are considered major threats to Abbott's starling.

Abbott's starling is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Abbott's starling, Wikidata item Q27075615. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Abbott's starling?
Abbott's starling is a perching bird in the family Sturnidae (order Passeriformes) — Poeoptera femoralis.
What is the conservation status of Abbott's starling?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Poeoptera femoralis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Abbott's starling live?
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Why is Abbott's starling in crisis?
It is threatened by habitat loss, and its population is estimated at 2500–9999.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Poeoptera femoralis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Abbott's starling a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.