Aplonis is a genus of starlings. These are essentially island species of Indonesia and Oceania, although some species' ranges extend to the Malay Peninsula, southern Vietnam and northeastern Queensland. The typical adult Aplonis starling is fairly uniformly plumaged in black, brown or dark green, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The eye ring is often distinctively coloured. Immatures of several species have dark streaked pale underparts. Several species have restricted ranges, and, like other island endemics, have become endangered or extinct as a result of habitat loss or introduced mammals such as rats.

Taxonomy

The genus Aplonis was introduced in 1836 by the English ornithologist John Gould. He listed two species in the new genus but did not specify which was the type species. In 1840 George Gray designated the Aplonis fusca Gould 1836 as the type. This is the extinct Tasman starling. The genus name is from Ancient Greek haploos meaning "simple" or "plain" and ornis meaning "bird". The genus Aplonis contains 25 species. Of these three have become extinct in historical times: An additional species is known only from fossils: