The White-faced Starling, Sturnus albofrontatus, is a member of the starling family of birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It was for a long time erroneously known as S. senex; this was eventually identified as a junior synonym of the Red-billed Starling (Mees 1997). In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as Hisa sudu Sharikava in Sinhala Language.
Identification
The adults of these 22cm-long birds have green-glossed dark grey upperparts and whitish underparts. The head is paler than the underparts. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller, with brown upperparts and greyer underparts.
Behaviour
It is strictly arboreal, frequenting the tops of tall trees, and commonly associates in small flocks. Its food consists largely of wild fruits, such as cinnamon berries and the figs of several species of Ficus, but it doubtless eats insects; and like many other birds, it is very fond of the nectar of the red cotton tree. The nest appears to have discovered only once-in April, by Frederick Lewis, many years ago. It was in a tree-hole, and the two eggs were lying on bare wood. They were pale blue, and measured about 25.6 X 20 mm.
Locations
This is a rare bird, confined to the tall forests, and their adjacent patanas and clearings of the wet zone, including the Adam’s Peak range up to 4,000 feet or perhaps higher.
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