Illusive Brahminy starling

Of the five exotic starlings and mynas so far established in the UAE, the common myna ranks first, followed by the pied starling and bank myna. The superb starling has an established population at Sharjah University City as well as in the nearby military cantonment, while at the end stands the Brahminy starling with no fixed breeding numbers or site.

Early 1990s

Towards the early 1990s I saw a pair of Brahminy starling trying to build a nest inside a house just behind Dubai Zoo. Later on I found juveniles in Safa Park. For the last few years one or a pair has been spotted near the Jumeirah Mosque, Magrudy's Centre and Pink Plaza area, in addition to one or two in Safa Park area.

A pair

Recently I went looking for them in Jumeirah. After walking for an hour, I was delighted to spot a pair of Brahminy starling behind TGI Friday's restaurant. The first bird I spotted was in an Arabian jujube tree, while I heard the sound of the second bird within 15 metres of me. But before I could get some good pictures there appeared a large waste-collecting truck of Dubai Municipality making a lot of noise and disturbing the starlings who vanished from the scene in no time.