Chestnut-cheeked Starlings: competing for a nest cavity
HIH Princess Takamado shares photos of this charming species at the beginning of the northern hemisphere's spring nesting season.
“Through the Lens” Fujingahou Magazine, April 2025
Photos and text by HIH Princess Takamado
Photo edited by Koichi Fujiwara (NATURE’S PLANET）
Edited by Yuki Masuda (Fujingahou)
In Japan, the Chestnut-cheeked Starling is also known as the ‘cherry blossom bird’, as it arrives during cherry blossom season and favours cherry fruits. If I ever succeed in capturing photographs of this species against a backdrop of blossoms or eating the fruits, I would be delighted to share them with you all! This time, I’m introducing some of these birds beginning their nest-building in a freshly budding forest.
The Chestnut-cheeked Starling got its Japanese name ’Komukudori‘ (meaning ’small Grey Starling’) because it is smaller than the White-cheeked or Grey Starling of the same family, but their appearance is quite different. The male has a white head, partly reddish-brown cheeks, and its upper body showcases a beautiful metallic sheen of navy, purple and black. The female, on the other hand, is predominantly white, giving a subdued impression. Both have a distinctive combination of a white head and round black eyes – an easy focus point when photographing them.
The photographs I’m sharing were taken during two separate visits to the Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden and the Chikuma River basin in Nagano Prefecture. At Togakushi, it was past mid-May, and the birds were in the midst of raising their young. When I visited the Chikuma River several years later in early May, I was able to observe various breeding behaviours. Females were drawn to the singing males, pairs were inspecting tree cavities, entering and exiting nest holes, and carrying nesting materials—they were moving about busily, and I was equally rushed trying to capture their movements on camera.
Chestnut-cheeked Starlings begin to build their nest in earnest after pair formation. The first task is ’cleaning’ the cavity. They often use old woodpecker holes, with the male and female co-operating to remove old nesting materials and discard them outside. Next, they bring in dried leaves and other plants as suitable materials. The nest cup is primarily lined with dried grasses, though some individuals also use bird feathers.
Once the nest is complete, they lay one egg per day until there is a total of five beautiful blue eggs, then begin incubation for about 15 days, and the chicks leave the nest roughly two weeks after hatching.
During nest-building, I frequently observed behaviours such as that shown in the left photograph, where birds hold green leaves in their beaks and carry them to the nest cavity. This action is known in other bird species as well, and I had always thought it was a courtship display by males to attract females. However, while researching for this essay, I found interesting observations in a paper about this species that suggested otherwise. Once serious nest-building begins, both males and females carry these leaves, placing them along with dried leaves at the bottom of the nest cavity. They continue to add fresh material periodically. The paper suggested that this might be to prevent parasites such as mites from infesting the nest. Since it’s already been established that raptors bring green leaves to remove parasites, the Chestnut-cheeked Starling’s behaviour is likely the same.
This species primarily breeds in Japan. Upon arriving in the country, they must quickly secure suitable tree cavities for nesting and form pairs. However, the number of appropriate nest sites is limited. Since the resident White-cheeked Starlings begin breeding earlier, the migratory Chestnut-cheeked Starlings that arrive later are at a disadvantage. They engage in fierce competitions to take over nest cavities, but being smaller, their chances of success appear to be low.
During my photography sessions, I often found myself wanting to cheer for the smaller, seemingly more determined Chestnut-cheeked Starlings. However, upon reflection, I realised that they were trying to take over cavities from White-cheeked Starlings that had already established nests. Both species are engaged in a non-negotiable struggle to leave descendants, and I now deeply regret that I should have maintained a neutral stance.
19cm, Sturnidae family
This species has a relatively limited global distribution. Its main breeding grounds are in central and northern Honshu, Japan, though it also breeds in southern Sakhalin and the southern Kuril Islands. In winter, it migrates to the Philippines and northern Borneo. It travels through other parts of Japan as a migratory bird, sometimes mixing with flocks of White-cheeked Starlings.
