Bali Starling, originally uploaded by andyskelton.
Actually it’s more of a Mynah bird than a relative of the Starling, but this attractive bird – rather than being in abundance as this posting’s title would suggest is in danger of becoming extinct in the wild if we’re not careful.
Whilst there may be as many as 700 in zoo’s around Europe, the species hit an all time low in 2001 with as few as 6 birds recorded in the wild. As ever, loss of habitat is to blame for the decline in the numbers of this attractive and amusing bird.
More recently, around 50 birds were control released in and around sacred temples in the Indonesian archipelago which is hoped will help establish new colonies. It certainly would be a crime if these fantastic birds were no longer present in the wild.
The expression on this bird typifies the exasperation I felt when reading up on the plight of these distinctive creatures. Hopefully with all the recent success in wildlife reintroductions, the numbers in the wild will increase to a level where we will not need to worry about their future to the same degree.
Now for the science bit: Canon 1D4, 600mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/1250second
Andrew Skelton: 
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