_Aplornis opaca orii_ Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Dobutsu. Zasshi,
43, 1931, p. 458. (Type locality, Coror, Pelew Islands.)
_Calornis kittlitzii_ Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc.
London, 1868, pp. 7, 117, 118 (Pelew).
_Calornis opaca_ Gray (part), Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 27
(Pelew).
_Calornis kittlitzi_ Hartlaub and Finsch (part), Proc. Zool. Soc.
London, 1872, p. 89 (Pelew); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy,
8, 1875, pp. 5, 23 (Palau); Schmeltz and Krause (part), Ethnogr.
Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 298 (Palau).
_Calornis kittlitzi_ Kubary, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 4, 1873, p.
225 (Palau-Inseln).
_Calornis pacificus_ Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12,
1876, pp. 17, 32 (Palau); _idem_ (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1880,
p. 289 (Palau); _idem_ (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p.
576 (Palau); _idem_ (part). Ibis, 1881, p. 111 (Pelew).
_Aplonis kittlitzi_ Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool.
Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 44 (Pelew); Oustalet
(part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 212
(Palaos); Hartert (part), Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 58 (Pelew);
Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Palau);
Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 55 (Pelew).
_Aplonis opaca_ subsp nov.? Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p.
13 (Pelew); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 72
(Pelew).
_Aplornis opaca orii_ Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p.
188 (Babelthuap, Koror, Peliliu, Anguar).
_Aplonis opaca orii_ Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 169
(Palau); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 673 (Palau).
_Aplonis opacus orii_ Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 297
(Palau); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p.
71 (Peleliu, Ngesebus, Garakayo).
_Geographic range._--Micronesia: Palau Islands--Kayangel,
Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Ngesebus, Peleliu, Ngabad, Angaur.
_Characters._--Adult: Resembles adult of _A. o. opacus_, but
slightly larger with bill longer and shallower, and feathers with
distinct greenish gloss both on the upper parts and the lower
parts. Resembles _A. o. angus_ in the amount of greenish gloss on
feathers, but bill shallower. Depth of bill of _A. o. opacus_
measures, on the average, 9.5 for males and 9.0 for females; of
_A. o. angus_ 8.5 for both males and females; of _A. o. orii_ 7.5
for both males and females.
Immature: Resembles immature of _A. o. angus_, but streaking on
underparts duller.
_Measurements._--Measurements are listed in table 45.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 40 (21 males, 19 females), as
follows: Palau Islands, USNM--Koror, 3 (Nov. 6)--Garakayo, 2
(Sept. 19)--Ngesebus, 1 (Sept. 20)--Peleliu, 7 (Aug. 28, 29, 30,
31, Sept. 5); AMNH--exact locality not given, 27 (Oct., Nov.,
Dec.).
_Molt._--Many of the specimens taken in August and September show
evidence of molt; most of the specimens taken in October, November
and December are not in molt.
_Remarks._--The amount of greenish gloss on the feathers of _A. o. orii_
and _A. o. angus_ appears to be the same, but the streaked underparts of
the immature of _A. o. orii_ are duller than those of the immature of
_A. o. angus_. The shallower bill in the Palau starling is caused by the
lower edge of the mandible being generally straighter than that in _A.
o. angus_ and _A. o. opacus_. In comparing _A. o. orii_ with _A. o.
kurodai_, Takatsukasa and Yamashina (1931a:458) state that "the greenish
gloss is less pronounced and of a duller shade than that of _A. o.
kurodai_ Momiyama."
The starling is probably the most abundant land bird in the Palaus. It
was found as singles or in small flocks at all islands visited by the
NAMRU2 party in 1945. As at the other islands of Micronesia, the
starling at Palau is noisy and conspicuous. It is a most inquisitive
bird, often following the collector through the woodlands. Apparently
the starling prefers the open woodlands and marginal areas to the
thicker jungles; as a result of clearing operations during the war, the
bird probably has increased. The starling is primarily a vegetarian; I
found no animal matter in stomachs examined at Palau or at Ulithi or
Guam. At Palau, as at other islands, more of the starlings seen were in
immature plumage than in adult plumage. Coultas (field notes) found the
birds to be abundant at Koror and highly prized as food by the natives
and Japanese. He writes, "It is surprising what a fine wholesome meal
certain people can get out of handful of rice and a starling's breast."
=Aplonis opacus guami= Momiyama