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Sturnidae
Тодолынхон
todoliŋkhoŋ

椋鸟科
liáng-niǎo kē

八哥科
bā-gē kē

ムクドリ科
muku-dori ka

찌르레기과
jjireuregi-gwa

Sığırcıkgiller

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General

This list is 'in beta'. Information is from dictionaries and other sources. Kazakh, Turkish, and Korean glosses are tentative. Comments and corrections welcome. Hover over Green Lettering Green lettering at this site hides a tool tip with glosses, further explanations, etc. Hover cursor to reveal. to see additional information.

The starlings and mynas are known in Mongolian by a collection of names reminiscent of the name for the parrots, Тоть tot', probably due to their shared ability to mimic human speech.

1. The similarity of names is most apparent in the mynas. The Crested Myna is known as Хартотол khartotol 'black myna'. The extralimital Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa) is known as the Тотимсог totimsog 'parrot-like'. And in Inner Mongolian sources, Хар тоть khar tot' 'black parrot' is used as a name for the mynas.

2. Starlings are known as Тодол todol. In fact, the distinction between the names тотол totol 'mynah' and тодол todol 'starling' is entirely artificial; the two words are written exactly the same way in the traditional script. The name of the Common Starling, Хар тодол khar todol 'black starling', is almost identical to that of the myna, Хартотол khartotol 'black myna'.

In the 2007 "binomial-style" official list, the name Тодлой todloi is given to the Sturnia starlings (now Agropsar). This name is not found in dictionaries, although formations with -ой -oi and similar suffixes are common in Mongolian (cf the Otididae). However, the тодол / тодлой (todol/todloi) distinction is likely to be lost on most Mongolians.

Inner Mongolia

In the Inner Mongolia ornithological names, the starlings are uniformly known as Шарига sharig (also Шарига шувуу sharig shuvuu 'starling bird').

As mentioned above, the Crested Myna is known as Хар тоть khar tot' 'black parrot'.

Species names

› ABOUT THIS TABLE‹
STURNINAE
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN
MONGOLIAN
EAST ASIAN
TURKIC
Sturnus
Latin
English/Russian
Mongolian
Inner M
Other M
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Kazakh
Turkish
Sturnus vulgaris
link to photo
Common Starling
or
European Starling
Purple-winged starling

Обыкновенный скворец
Хар тодол
ᠬᠠᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
khar todol
'black starling'
Толбот шарига
ᠲᠣᠯᠪᠣᠲᠣ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
tolbot sharig
'spotted starling' (31, 33)
or
Хүрэн далавчит шарига
ᠬᠦᠷᠢᠨ ᠳᠠᠯᠠᠪᠴᠢᠲᠣ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
khüreŋ dalavchit sharig
'darkbrown-winged starling' (alt in 33)
  紫翅椋鸟
(紫翅椋鳥)
zǐ-chì liáng-niǎo
'purple-winged dogwood-bird'
Taiwan:
(欧洲椋鸟)
歐洲椋鳥
ōuzhōu liáng-niǎo
'European dogwood-bird'
ホシムクドリ
(星椋鳥)
hoshi muku-dori
'starred muku-bird'
흰점찌르레기
huin-jeom-jjireuregi
'white-spotted starling'
Қараторғай
qara-torğay
'black sparrow'
Sığırcık
'starling'
Pastor
Latin
English/Russian
Mongolian
Inner M
Other M
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Kazakh
Turkish
Pastor roseus
Sturnus roseus
link to photo
Rosy starling
Rose-coloured starling

Розовый скворец
Ягаан тодол
ᠶᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
yagaaŋ todol
'pink starling'
Ягаан шарига
ᠶᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
yagaaŋ sharig
'pink starling' (33)
Mongolia formerly:
Ягаан жимсэн
ᠶᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠵᠢᠮᠢᠰᠡᠨ
yagaaŋ jimseŋ
'pink fruit'
Other:
Ягаан жимсэн тодол
ᠶᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠵᠢᠮᠢᠰᠡᠨ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
yagaaŋ jimseŋ todol
'pink fruit starling'
粉红椋鸟
(粉紅椋鳥)
fěn-hóng liáng-niǎo
'pink dogwood-bird'
Taiwan:
(粉红椋鸟)
粉紅椋鳥
fěn-hóng liáng-niǎo
'pink dogwood-bird'
バライロムクドリ
(薔薇色椋鳥)
bara-iro muku-dori
'rose-coloured muku-bird'
분홍찌르레기
bunhong-jjireuregi
'pink starling'
Алаторғай
ala-torğay
motley sparrow'
Ala Sığırcık
'field starling'
Agropsar
Latin
English/Russian
Mongolian
Inner M
Other M
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Kazakh
Turkish
Agropsar sturninus
Sturnus sturninus
Sturnia sturnina
link to photo
Purple-backed starling
or
Daurian starling

Малый скворец,
Скворец даурский
Sturnia sturnina:
Хурган тодлой
ᠬᠣᠷᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯᠠᠢ
khurgaŋ todloi
'lamb starling (variant form)'
Умарт шарига
ᠣᠮᠠᠷᠠᠲᠣ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
umart sharig
'northern starling' (33)
Mongolia formerly:
Хурган тодол
ᠬᠣᠷᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
khurgaŋ todol
'lamb starling'
IM also:
Умартын шарига
ᠣᠮᠠᠷᠠᠲᠣ ᠵᠢᠨ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
umartiŋ sharig
'northern starling' (31)
Other:
Гэрийн тоть
ᠭᠡᠷ ᠦᠨ ᠲᠣᠲᠢ
geriŋ tot'
'house parrot'
北椋鸟
(北椋鳥)
běi liáng-niǎo
'northern dogwood-bird'
Taiwan:
(北椋鸟)
北椋鳥
běi liáng-niǎo
'northern dogwood-bird'
シベリアムクドリ
(シベリア椋鳥)
shiberia muku-dori
'Siberian muku-bird'
북방쇠찌르레기
bukbang-soe-jjireuregi
'northern small starling'
   
Spodiopsar
Latin
English/Russian
Mongolian
Inner M
Other M
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Kazakh
Turkish
Spodiopsar cineraceus
Sturnus cineraceus
link to photolink to photo
White-cheeked starling
Grey starling
Ashy starling

Серый скворец
Бор тодол
ᠪᠣᠷᠣ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
bor todol
'dun starling'
Хөхөвтөр шарига
ᠬᠦᠬᠡᠪᠲᠣᠦᠷ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
khökövtör sharig
'bluish starling' (31, 33)
or
Бор шарига
ᠪᠣᠷᠣ ᠱᠠᠷᠢᠭ᠎ᠠ
bor sharig
'dun starling' (alt in 33)
Other:
Бор тодол шувуу
ᠪᠣᠷᠣ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ ᠰᠢᠪᠠᠭᠣ
bor todol shuvuu
'dun starling bird'
灰椋鸟
(灰椋鳥)
huī liáng-niǎo
'grey dogwood-bird'
Taiwan
(灰椋鸟)
灰椋鳥
huī liáng-niǎo
'grey dogwood-bird'
ムクドリ
(椋鳥)
muku-dori
'muku-bird'
찌르레기
jjireuregi
'starling'
   
Acridotheres
Latin
English/Russian
Mongolian
Inner M
Other M
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Kazakh
Turkish
Acridotheres cristatellus
link to photo
Crested myna
Chinese jungle myna

Черная майна,
Хохлатая
Тольт хартотол
ᠲᠣᠯᠢᠲᠣ ᠬᠠᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠲᠣᠳᠣᠯ
tol't khartotol
'pretty black-starling'
Хар тоть
ᠬᠠᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠲᠥᠲᠢ
khar tot'
'black parrot' (31)

Харагчин тоть
ᠬᠠᠷᠠᠭᠴᠢᠨ ᠲᠥᠲᠢ
kharagchiŋ tot'
'wagtail parrot'
八哥
(八哥)
bā-gē
'myna'
Taiwan:
(八哥)
八哥
bā-gē
'myna'
ハッカチョウ
(八哥鳥)
hakka-chō
'myna bird' (from Chinese)
     

This is an old name for black or blackish passerines, probably related to харагчин kharagchiŋ, a word used for black-coloured cows. Хар khar means 'black'. Харагчин kharagchiŋ now usually identified as meaning wagtail but can also be found used for the Chinese Hill Warbler and the Dunnock (Prunellidae. It is also found used as a descriptor for the Crested Myna and the Eurasian Crag Martin.

八哥 bā-gē literally means 'eight big brother', which supposedly refers to white patches on the underside of the wings of Acridotheres cristatellus, the Chinese Jungle Myna, which resemble the character 八 'eight' when the bird is in flight. The name has been generalised as the Chinese name for the mynas and has also been borrowed into Japanese as ハッカ hakka (八哥).

汉蒙名词术语分类词典(自然科学部分) Mongolian (Cyrillic): Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь (байгалийн шинжлэх ухааны бүлэг) (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary, natural sciences part) by 《汉蒙名词术语分类词典》编纂委员会 Mongolian (Cyrillic): "Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь" найруулах комисс (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary editorial committee), Inner Mongolian People's Press, Hohhot 1990

内蒙古动物志 (第四卷 鸟纲 雀形目) Fauna Inner Mongolia (Volume 4 Aves Passerines), 主编:旭日干 (Chief Editor: Xurigan), 内蒙古人大学版社 (Inner Mongolian University Press), Hohhot 2015