Aplonis opacus opacus (Kittlitz)
Micronesian Starling
Lamproth[ornis] opaca Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 2, 1833, p. 11, pl. 15, fig. 2. (Type locality, Ualan = Kusaie.)
Turdus colombinus Lesson (part), Traité d'Ornith., 1832, p. 406 (Carolines = Kusaie?).
Lamproth[ornis] opaca Kittlitz, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Petersbourg, 2, 1935, p. 7 (Ualan); idem (part), Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 285, 297 (Ualan); Pelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, p. 68 (Ualan).
Lamprotornis columbinus Bonaparte (part), Consp. Avium, 1, 1850, p. 417 (Carolinen = Kusaie?).
Lamprotornis columbina Hartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 133 (Ualan); idem (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen = Kusaie?); Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 376 (Ualan).
Calornis opaca Gray (part), Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 26 (Oualau = Kusaie); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 255 (Kusaie); Hartert, Kat. Vogelsamml. Senckenb., 1891, p. 75 (Ualan).
Calornis kittlitzi Finsch and Hartlaub (part), Fauna Central polynesiens, 1867, p. 109 (Ualan, Puynipet, Marianen; type locality, by subsequent restriction, Ualan = Kusaie); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 23 (Ualan).
Calornis kittlitzii Hartlaub, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 830 (Ualan).
Amadina Kittlitzi Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 58 (Ualan).
Calornis pacifica Sharpe, Ibis, 1876, p. 47 (Caroline Is. = Kusaie?); Finsch (part), Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 49 (Kuschai).
Calornis pacificus Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, p. 32 (Ualan); idem (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 289, 301 (Kuschai); idem, (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Kuschai); idem, (part), Ibis, 1881, pp. 103, 104, 108, 111 (Kuschai).
Aplonis kittlitzi Sharpe (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 13, 1890, p. 136 (Kuschai); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 44 (Ualan); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 216 (Oualan); Hartert (part), Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 59 (Ualan); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Ualan); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Kusaie).
Lamprocorax kittlitzi Dubois (part), Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 542 (Kuschai).
Aplonis opaca Oberholser, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 98, 1917, p. 59 (Ualan); Wetmore (part), in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 219 (Kusaie).
Aplonis kittlitzi kittlitzi Momiyama (part), Tori, 2, 1920, p. 1 (Kusaie).
Aplonis opaca opaca Momiyama (part), Birds Micronesia, 1922, pp. 6, 12 (Kusaie); Kuroda (part), in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 70 (Kusaie); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 847 (Kusaie); Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1931, p. 109 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 170 (Kusaie).
Aplornis opaca opaca, Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 188 (Kusaie).
Aplonis opacus opacus Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 298 (Kusaie).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Kusaie.
Characters.—Adult: Feathers black with dusky appearance caused by lighter bases; edges of feathers with slight amount of steel-green gloss; underparts slightly duller than upper parts; bill black, with maxilla rather strongly curved; feet black, iris yellow. Females slightly smaller.
Immature: Resembles adult, but upper parts more brown and less black; underparts dusky with edges of feathers tinged with smoky yellow producing a streaked appearance; base of bill horn-colored.
Measurements.—Measurements are listed in [table 45].
Specimens examined.—Total number, 30 (18 males, 12 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Kusaie, 5 (Feb. 8); AMNH—Kusaie, 25 (Jan., Feb., March).
Table 45. Measurements of Adult Specimens of Aplonis opacus
Table 45. Measurements of Adult Specimens of Aplonis opacus
| Subspecies | Number and sex | Wing | Tail | Full Culmen | Depth of culmen at nostril |
| A. o. opacus | 15 males | 124 | 80 | 24 | 9.5 |
| 121-125 | 76-85 | 24-26 | 9.0-10.0 | ||
12 females | 119 | 77 | 24 | 9.0 | |
| 115-125 | 72-82 | 23-26 | 8.5-9.0 | ||
| A. o. ponapensis | 17 males | 133 | 87 | 27 | 9.5 |
| 130-138 | 85-91 | 26-29 | 9.0-10.0 | ||
11 females | 126 | 83 | 27 | 9.0 | |
| 122-127 | 81-85 | 26-28 | 8.5-9.0 | ||
| A. o. angus | 16 males | 129 | 88 | 28 | 9.5 |
| 125-131 | 84-92 | 27-29 | 8.0-9.0 | ||
7 females | 124 | 85 | 27 | 8.5 | |
| 121-129 | 83-88 | 25-28 | 8.0-9.0 | ||
| A. o. orii | 11 males | 128 | 86 | 27 | 7.5 |
| 124-131 | 83-90 | 25-28 | 7.5-8.5 | ||
7 females | 124 | 79 | 26 | 7.5 | |
| 121-126 | 77-82 | 25-27 | 7.5-8.0 | ||
| A. o. guami | 41 males | 128 | 86 | 27 | 9.5 |
| 120-136 | 81-92 | 24-29 | 8.5-10.5 | ||
32 females | 121 | 84 | 26 | 9.5 | |
| 117-126 | 78-89 | 24-30 | 8.5-10.5 |
Remarks.—The Micronesian Starling at Kusaie was first taken by Kittlitz (1833:11), who named it in the following manner: "Turdus columbinus Gm. L. oder Lamproth. opaca Lichtenstein." The bird was later given the name of Calornis kittlitzi by Finsch and Hartlaub (1867:109). Oberholser (1917:59) has shown that the specific name opaca is applicable, since the manuscript name Lamprothornis opaca of Lichtenstein is made available by Kittlitz's published description and figure, and since it is the earliest name used. Mathews (1938:342) reports that the name Aplornis appeared a few days before the name Aplonis. I have been unable to check his source of information.
The Micronesia Starling is one of the most abundant birds at Kusaie. Coultas (field notes) observed the bird in all parts of the island, when he visited there in 1931. He found the bird in flocks of two to six or more and noted that birds in immature plumage seemed to outnumber the birds in adult plumage approximately five to one. This subspecies is characterized by the presence of only a slight amount of gloss on the black feathers of the adult.