Quick answer
Javan pied starling at a glance
The Javan pied starling (Gracupica jalla) is a bird in the family Sturnidae.
| Scientific name | Gracupica jalla |
|---|---|
| Indonesian name | Jalak suren |
| Group | Birds |
| Family | Sturnidae |
| Range in Indonesia | Java and Bali (now possibly extinct in the wild) |
| Linked habitats | Savannas |
| Diet | Earthworms, other soil invertebrates and fruit |
| Range in Indonesia | Java and Bali; possibly extinct in the wild |
| Key feature | Bare orange face patch and whitish-yellow bill |
| Other names | Jalak suren; formerly part of Asian pied starling |
| IUCN status | Critically Endangered, possibly extinct in the wild (2025) |
In this guide (10)
What is the Javan pied starling?
The Javan pied starling (Gracupica jalla) is a black-and-white starling with a bare orange face, endemic to Java and Bali. Its bill is plain whitish-yellow, and the bare skin in front of the eye is reddish. BirdLife International lists it as Critically Endangered and possibly extinct in the wild.
It was long treated as a subspecies of the Asian pied starling (Gracupica contra) and was recognised as a full species in 2016. It differs from G. contra, which has a two-tone bill and only an orange eye-ring, and from the Siamese pied starling (G. floweri), which has white streaks on the crown.
Evidence: BirdLife International (DataZone) — Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla species factsheet ↗ · Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Populasi dan Habitat Jalak Suren Jawa Gracupica jalla Reintroduksi Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark Jawa Timur ↗ · Dibird (republishing BirdLife International) — A million caged, none in the wild: freeing the Javan Pied Starling ↗
Where does the Javan pied starling live?
The Javan pied starling once lived in open country on Java and Bali but may now be extinct in the wild. Van Balen and Collar (2021) traced records from 168 localities on Java and 13 on Bali. Records from eastern Sumatra, including Bangka, are of unclear origin.
It favoured rice fields, crop fields, pasture and gardens up to about 1,500 m, and once formed large roosts inside cities. In November 2022, 40 birds were released in the grounds of Taman Safari Indonesia II at Prigen, East Java. Some have bred, but BirdLife does not yet count them as an established wild population.
Evidence: Ardea (BioOne) — van Balen & Collar (2021), The Vanishing Act: A History and Natural History of the Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla ↗ · BirdLife International (DataZone) — Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla species factsheet ↗ · Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Populasi dan Habitat Jalak Suren Jawa Gracupica jalla Reintroduksi Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark Jawa Timur ↗
What does the Javan pied starling eat?
The Javan pied starling feeds mainly on soil invertebrates and fruit, often eating crop pests, according to van Balen and Collar (2021). It frequently probes soil and dung for food. This 'prying' technique suits it to catching earthworms and other soft-bodied invertebrates.
At the Prigen release site, a UGM study (2024) found the starlings following grazing animals to pick up dung beetles and worms, mostly in grassland. Experts believe that pesticide use in farmland has greatly depleted its topsoil food supply.
Evidence: Ardea (BioOne) — van Balen & Collar (2021), The Vanishing Act: A History and Natural History of the Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla ↗ · Silent Forest (EAZA) — The extraordinary vanishing act of the Javan Pied Starling ↗ · Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Populasi dan Habitat Jalak Suren Jawa Gracupica jalla Reintroduksi Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark Jawa Timur ↗
How does the Javan pied starling breed?
The Javan pied starling can breed all year but does so mainly in response to the rains. Van Balen and Collar (2021) found peaks in January and May in West Java and in April in East Java. It builds untidy, conspicuous nests high in trees and usually lays three eggs (range two to four).
At Prigen, released birds nest most often in kapok trees (Ceiba pentandra). It breeds readily in captivity: a UGM study in Klaten found that one pair can produce up to 29 young a year.
Evidence: Ardea (BioOne) — van Balen & Collar (2021), The Vanishing Act: A History and Natural History of the Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla ↗ · Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Populasi dan Habitat Jalak Suren Jawa Gracupica jalla Reintroduksi Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark Jawa Timur ↗ · Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Evaluasi Penangkaran Jalak Suren Jawa (Gracupica jalla) sebagai Upaya Konservasi Ex-Situ di Kabupaten Klaten ↗
Why has the Javan pied starling almost vanished from the wild?
The Javan pied starling has almost vanished from the wild mainly because of trapping for the cagebird trade, with pesticide use in farmland a suspected second cause. It was still common in the 1970s, but the collapse only became obvious in the late 1990s. Reports describe hundreds of trappers catching thousands of birds at a time and nests emptied before chicks fledged.
Yet it is abundant in cages: Silent Forest reports more than 1.1 million birds in Javan households, all from commercial breeders. Demand comes from pet keeping rather than singing contests. BirdLife calls this wholly unique: a bird possibly gone from the wild yet easy to buy.
Evidence: BirdLife International (DataZone) — Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla species factsheet ↗ · Mongabay — From common to captive, Javan pied starlings succumb to songbird trade (2021) ↗ · Silent Forest (EAZA) — The extraordinary vanishing act of the Javan Pied Starling ↗
How can the Javan pied starling be protected?
The Javan pied starling can be saved through conservation breeding and release at sites safe from trapping and pesticides. BirdLife stresses that birds for release must be genetically pure, not hybrids with the Siamese pied starling. The bird curator at Prigen also warns that captive stock includes colour mutants and possibly hybrids.
The public can help by not buying wild-caught birds and not releasing pet birds casually: BirdLife regards most recent 'wild' records as likely escapes. Songbird campaigners quoted by Mongabay Indonesia stress that birds belong in nature, not in cages.
Evidence: BirdLife International (DataZone) — Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla species factsheet ↗ · Silent Forest (EAZA) — The extraordinary vanishing act of the Javan Pied Starling ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia — Nasib Jalak Suren, Diburu di Alam Liar untuk Diperlombakan Sebagai Burung Kicau (2021) ↗
Explore related habitats
These habitat relationships are supported by species sources in this guide. This is not a complete range map.
Common questions about the Javan pied starling
What is the scientific name of the Javan pied starling?
The scientific name of the Javan pied starling is Gracupica jalla, in the family Sturnidae. In Indonesian it is called Jalak suren.
Where can the Javan pied starling be found in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, this guide records the Javan pied starling in: Java and Bali (now possibly extinct in the wild).
Source-supported habitats: Savannas.
What does the Javan pied starling eat?
Diet of the Javan pied starling: earthworms, other soil invertebrates and fruit.
Sources & references
- BirdLife International (DataZone) — Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla species factsheet ↗
- Ardea (BioOne) — van Balen & Collar (2021), The Vanishing Act: A History and Natural History of the Javan Pied Starling Gracupica jalla ↗
- Mongabay — From common to captive, Javan pied starlings succumb to songbird trade (2021) ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia — Nasib Jalak Suren, Diburu di Alam Liar untuk Diperlombakan Sebagai Burung Kicau (2021) ↗
- Silent Forest (EAZA) — The extraordinary vanishing act of the Javan Pied Starling ↗
- Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Populasi dan Habitat Jalak Suren Jawa Gracupica jalla Reintroduksi Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark Jawa Timur ↗
- Universitas Gadjah Mada (ETD) — Evaluasi Penangkaran Jalak Suren Jawa (Gracupica jalla) sebagai Upaya Konservasi Ex-Situ di Kabupaten Klaten ↗
- Dibird (republishing BirdLife International) — A million caged, none in the wild: freeing the Javan Pied Starling ↗
References can change. Check dates and context in the original source.
Cite this page
PanduanHewan. (2026, 25 September). Javan pied starling (Gracupica jalla). PanduanHewan.org. https://panduanhewan.org/en/species/javan-pied-starling/