Latin Etymology: Pastor ("shepherd") roseus ("rose-coloured")
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Juvenile Rose-coloured Starling (Pastor roseus) at Geddington, Northants, UK - August 2026
Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 60-88g / Length: 19-22cm / Wingspan: 37-40cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
As an adult, the rose-coloured starling resembles the common starling wearing a soft pink waistcoat with pink lipstick on its beak. The juvenile, in which form this species is more frequently encountered in the UK, is a somewhat more drab affair though its flat browns and yellow bill will often allow it to be picked out amongst the flocks of common starling it most often appears as a vagrant within. Their breeding range is around the Black and Caspian Seas into Central Asia, and the Winter in Southern India and Sri Lanka.
Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Pastor
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic
- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - An annual vagrant species, primarily on the East Coast
- A vagrant juvenile seen in Happisburgh, Norfolk in 2026
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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