A bird of settlements and towns with trees in East Asia. In Japan, flocks gather at shared roosts after breeding.
Its bill and legs are orange.
White-cheeked Starlings replace wing and tail feathers from summer into autumn. On the wing, primaries are replaced from the inner side outward, while secondaries are replaced from the outer side inward. Adults and juveniles follow the same sequence for these flight feathers.
A 2019 study collected shed feathers at a communal roost on Kindai University’s Higashiosaka Campus, Osaka, during 2008 and 2009. Before morning cleaning, researchers gathered 10,292 wing and tail feathers. Their shapes and curved shafts were compared with reference material to identify position and distinguish adult from juvenile feathers. As the season progressed, the most frequently collected outer-wing feathers shifted from inner positions toward the wingtip. Juvenile wing feathers tended to be collected later than adult ones. Beneath the shared sleeping trees, shed feathers revealed the gradual renewal taking place during summer.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Urban communal roosts create a coexistence challenge through noise and droppings. Guidance updated by Chiba City in October 2026 identifies cleaning affected public facilities and street-tree areas as a practical response. It notes that birds can become accustomed to deterrent sounds and that pruning or covering roost trees can shift flocks to nearby trees or structures. Local facility managers receive reports and consider responses suited to the site.