A huge flock of birds dart across the sky, making fluid, breathtaking formations. Soon we realise they were Rosy Starlings (also known as Pastor Roseus).
The rosy starling has a black head, chest and tail with a purple or blue sheen. The back, lower chest and belly of the bird has a distinctive pale pink colour, while the beak is yellow and the legs are bright pink.
“I have been spotting these birds for the last six years, especially during winters near the Hoskote lake and neighbouring farm lands. It has become a routine for me to look out for them during the chilly months,” says avid birder Swaroop Bharadwaj. He adds they are shy birds, but “if one approaches them carefully, they can be photographed. I enjoy listening to the way they communicate with each other.”
The rosy starling lays between three to six pale blue eggs. The male and female take turns to incubate the eggs for a period of two weeks and the chicks remain in the nest for about 24 days and are fed by both adults.
“The starlings are deeply associated with local folklore and in Kannada are called ‘Kabbakki’. They are also a part of many local folk songs as these birds are found in farm lands ,” shares Swaroop.
They migrate in flocks, breed in colonies and roost communally. Even in dense colonies, these birds do not show any aggression toward each other, he adds.
“I first sighted the Rosy Starling near Jakkur Lake,” beams Arun P Visweswaran, an independent executive and life coach. “There was this flock of noisy birds on a flowering tree and I was surprised to note they were not common mynahs. My next sighting was at the GKVK campus, and more recently, in BR Hills. I have always spotted them in flocks.”
Joiston Pereira, a student at St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, says, “I saw them at my college on a fig tree. There were at least a 100 to 150 of them! Recently, I saw these birds outside Kanteerava Stadium and have spotted many more resting near Madiwala Lake as well.”
The rosy starling is said to be one of the most widely-distributed species of starling in the world, with a breeding range that extends from Kazakhstan to central Russia.
