This starling is endemic to Nias and several nearby islands off Sumatra. It uses forest, woodland edges, and some disturbed areas where large trees remain, and feeds mainly on fruit and nectar.
It is mostly black with purple gloss and a turquoise-to-bronze sheen. Bare yellow skin extends behind the eye toward the nape, and the strongly curved bill is orange to red.
It uses lowland woodland, evergreen or deciduous forest, forest edges, and some disturbed areas that retain large trees. It feeds mainly on fruit and nectar, sometimes taking insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.