Bali Starling Leucopsar Rothschildi

This is the Balinese starling, arguably the rarest bird in the world. The government and WWF is making desperate efforts in protecting this specie. Main reason why this is the most critically endangered bird in the world is her looks & songs, yes, captured as pets where they do not adapt nor reproduce. On a range of less then 40 square kilometers inside the West Bali National Park is where the last hope remains, in a breeding center completely barbwired and electrically fenced, guarded by soldiers, yes, soldiers with real machine guns! Reason: the price of a Bali Starling is the average salary of an entire Indonesian family for five years Ive been told, more like her weight in gold! The center is optimistically planning on releasing 106 birds this year, 165 next year and over two hundred from then on but for now less than fourty live in the wild !
The Bali Starling Leucopsar rothschildi or in Indonesian jalak bali also known as Rothschild’s Mynah or Bali Myna is a medium-sized, up to 25cm long, stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, black tips on the wing and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes and a yellow bill.

This rare bird, Bali's only endemic species, was discovered in 1910. In 1991, the Bali Starling was designated the faunal symbol for Bali.

The scientific name commemorates the British ornithologist Lord Rothschild.

It is critically endangered, with a population in the wild of six in 2001. The last stronghold of Bali Starling is at Bali Barat National Park. About 1,000 are believed to survive in captivity. Its decline towards extinction has been caused by the urbanization of the island and by illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade.