The Story
I photographed this Black-collared Starling (Gracupica nigricollis) near the Mai Po Marshes in Hong Kong’s northwest New Territories on March 22, 2018. It has a white head, a yellow patch of bare skin around the eye and a black collar. It is found in southern China and much of mainland Southeast Asia, in grassland, farmland and around people. It forages on the ground, sometimes around livestock. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. Deep Bay lies between Hong Kong’s Yuen Long District and the city of Shenzhen. The Mai Po Marshes nature reserve covers 380 acres on Deep Bay, a shallow estuary of international importance.
I took this with a Pentax K-1 and the HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW, at 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, −1 EV. WWF’s work at Mai Po, including education and bird monitoring with public help, keeps this wetland open to people and safe for birds.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black-collared Starling (Gracupica nigricollis) belongs to the family Sturnidae (Starlings) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List