A complete species-level molecular phylogeny for the “Eurasian” starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnus, Acridotheres, and allies): Recent diversification in a highly social and dispersive avian group

We generated the first complete phylogeny of extant taxa in a well-defined clade of 26 starling species that is collectively distributed across Eurasia, and which has one species endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Two species in this group—the European starling Sturnus vulgaris and the common Myna Acridotheres tristis—now occur on continents and islands around the world following human-mediated introductions, and the entire clade is generally notable for being highly social and dispersive, as most of its species breed colonially or move in large flocks as they track ephemeral insect or plant resources, and for associating with humans in urban or agricultural landscapes. Our reconstructions were based on substantial mtDNA (4 kb) and nuclear intron (4 loci, 3 kb total) sequences from 16 species, augmented by mtDNA NDII gene sequences (1 kb) for the remaining 10 taxa for which DNAs were available only from museum skin samples. The resulting mitochondrial gene tree embedded within a multilocus framework shows that the well-studied taxa S. vulgaris/unicolor are the sister lineage to the remaining members of the radiation, from which other relatively early lineages gave rise to forms that are now nomadic or locally migrant in Africa (Creatophora) and western Asia (Pastor). The remaining taxa form a clade with a complicated biogeographic history primarily in central and eastern Asia; this group contains a range of sedentary to highly migratory taxa, as well as widely distributed species and single-island endemics such as the highly endangered Bali myna (Leucopsar). Several groups of species in the genus Acridotheres have low magnitudes of within-group divergence and likely diversified via their respective colonization of islands. The taxonomy of this entire group has remained highly volatile over the past century; we propose dividing these 26 species among 11 reciprocally monophyletic genera (Acridotheres, Poliopsar, Temenuchus, Sturnornis, Leucopsar, Gracupica, Agropsar, Pastor, Creatophora, and Sturnus).