Gracupica is a genus of Asian birds in the family Sturnidae. It is sometimes merged with Sturnus or Sturnia.
Taxonomy The genus Gracupica was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson to accommodate the black-collared starling which is therefore the type species. Published in 8 livraisons between 1830 and 1831. For the publication date see: The genus name combines the Latin graculus meaning "jackdaw" with pica meaning "magpie".
Species The genus contains four species. Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Gracupica nigricollis Black-collared starling Brunei, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam Gracupica contra Indian pied myna Indian subcontinentGracupica floweriSiamese pied mynamainland Southeast AsiaGracupica jallaJavan pied mynasouthern Sumatra, Java, and Bali A 2021 study found that G. contra represents a species complex of 3 distinct species formerly thought to be subspecies of G. contra: the Indian pied myna (G. contra sensu stricto) from most of the Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar, and Yunnan in China; the Siamese pied myna (G. floweri) from Thailand and Cambodia, and the possibly extinct in the wild Javan pied myna (G. jalla), historically known from Java and Bali in Indonesia. The International Ornithological Congress has accepted these results.
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