Coleto
Also known as: Sarcops calvus (scientific name) · Bald starling (descriptive name)
Definition
The coleto (Sarcops calvus) is a starling-sized bird endemic to the Philippines, named for the bald, wattled skin of its head, which flushes pink to red behind the eyes and crown of an otherwise blackish, glossy body. Moving in noisy groups through forest canopy, coconuts, and flowering trees across most large islands, it feeds on fruit and nectar and belongs to a genus all its own, making it a singular branch of the Philippine starling radiation. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Coleto |
| Wikidata | Q1586112 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | Sarcops calvus |
| AGROVOC | birds |
| Google Scholar | Sarcops calvus coleto Philippine endemic starling frugivore nectarivore island distribution |
| ConceptNet | bird |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Sarcops calvus (scientific name)
- Bald starling (descriptive name)
Examples and Analogies
- Bald-Headed Flasher: Its bare, color-changing head skin works like a mood ring, brightening with excitement in a way feathered heads cannot.
- Single-Species Genus: It holds the same kind of lone-genus distinction among Philippine birds that the tamaraw holds among Philippine mammals, a one-off local design.
- Canopy Cleaner Crew: Flocks sweep through treetops eating fruits and probing blossoms, functioning like roaming maintenance teams for the forest canopy.
Usage Scenarios
1. Birding by Sound
Its rasping, chattering flock calls are a staple of lowland birding walks from Luzon to Mindanao.
2. Frugivore and Pollination Studies
Researchers record it among flower visitors and fruit dispersers in studies of Philippine forest ecology.
Strategies
- Preserve mature fruiting and flowering trees in rural landscapes to sustain wide-ranging flocks.
- Use its conspicuous presence in community bird counts as an easily monitored endemic.
Security and Safety Measures
- Though common, it is protected under Philippine wildlife law; trapping fledglings for the pet trade is prohibited.
- Cat predation at garden edges threatens fledging flocks; responsible pet containment helps.
Historical Context
The coleto was described in the early nineteenth century and quickly recognized as anatomically distinct enough to merit its own genus, Sarcops, whose name literally means “flesh-face.” Twentieth-century fieldwork mapped three subspecies across the northern, central, and southern islands while confirming its absence from Palawan, and its conspicuous flocks have made it a familiar fixture in Philippine field guides and a standard data point in studies of island bird communities. (Wikipedia)
Challenges and Controversies
Localized Trapping Pressure
In some regions starling-sized birds are captured for food or pets, adding pressure despite overall abundance.
Subspecies Status
The three recognized island forms invite periodic taxonomic review, affecting how conservation units are defined.