About Aplonis cantoroides (G.R.Gray, 1862)
Adult Aplonis cantoroides, commonly called singing starlings, have glossy black plumage and bright red irises. Immature singing starlings are paler, with streaked underparts and brown irises. This species can be told apart from metallic starlings by its shorter, square-shaped tails and thicker bills. Singing starlings are distributed across New Guinea, several adjacent islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Admiralty Islands, and the Solomon Islands. They have also been recorded on Boigu Island and Saibai Island, which are part of Queensland, Australian territory in north-western Torres Strait. Their preferred habitats include forest edges, gardens, tree-covered cultivated areas, urban areas, and coconut groves.
