# Somali starling (Onychognathus blythii)

> The Somali starling: range from Eritrea to Socotra, habitat, Red List status and its 104 records across Somali regions since 1896.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/nature/somali-starling/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

The Somali starling (*Onychognathus blythii*) is a bird of the starling family, Sturnidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and on Socotra, the Yemeni island east of the Horn ([IUCN Red List, *Onychognathus blythii*, 2016](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22710614A94254046.en)).

Hartlaub described it in 1859 under another genus; the brackets around the author's name in its scientific name show that it has since been moved to *Onychognathus* ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/5230743)).

## Habitat

In the Dogu'a Tembien district of northern Ethiopia, it has been recorded in bushy and shrubby areas ([Nyssen and others, *Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains*, Springer, 2019](https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030049546)). In Somalia, its shared records are concentrated in [Sanaag](/en/regions/sanaag/) and [Woqooyi Galbeed](/en/regions/woqooyi-galbeed/), in the northern highlands (see records below).

## Records in Somali lands

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 104 records of the Somali starling from Somalia, dated from 1896 to 2025 ([GBIF occurrence search, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=5230743)). By type: 73 sightings by people, 31 museum specimens.

Records that name a region (74 of 104), by region: Sanaag 44, Woqooyi Galbeed 16, [Togdheer](/en/regions/togdheer/) 8, [Bari](/en/regions/bari/) 3, [Sool](/en/regions/sool/) 2, [Awdal](/en/regions/awdal/) 1 (same source).

The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1896, from a place recorded as "Jerato Pass", held by the Field Museum, Chicago ([GBIF record 668178070](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/668178070)).

The newest dated record is a sighting by a person from 2025, from Sanaag, held by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (eBird) ([GBIF record 6613865907](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6613865907)).

GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.

## Red List status

The IUCN Red List category for the Somali starling is **Least Concern** ([IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22710614A94254046.en); [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/5230743)).

## Classification

| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Sturnidae |
| Genus | Onychognathus |
| Species | *Onychognathus blythii* |

Scientific name with author: *Onychognathus blythii* (Hartlaub, 1859) ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/5230743)).

## Related pages

- [Birds of Somalia](/en/nature/birds-of-somalia/)

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22710614A94254046.en)
- [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/5230743)
- [GBIF occurrence records, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=5230743)
- [Nyssen and others, Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains, 2019](https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030049546)
- [Wikipedia (backup)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_starling)

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