astronomy

Kosrae starling

Kosrae starling is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kosrae starling rather than just read about it. In short: The Kosrae starling, also known as Kosrae Island starling, and formerly as Kusaie Mountain starling, (Aplonis corvina) is an extinct bird from the family of starlings (Sturnidae). It was endemic to the montane forests on the island of Kosrae which belong to the Caroline Islands in the south-western Pacific.

Key takeaways

Kosrae starling belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kosrae starling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kosrae starling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Kosrae starling, also known as Kosrae Island starling, and formerly as Kusaie Mountain starling, (Aplonis corvina) is an extinct bird from the family of starlings (Sturnidae). It was endemic to the montane forests on the island of Kosrae which belong to the Caroline Islands in the south-western Pacific.

Description It reached a length between 20 and 25.4 centimetres. It was crow-like, glossy black and had a long curved bill as well as a long tail.

Extinction The Kosrae starling is only known by five specimens which were obtained between December 1827 and January 1828 by the Kittlitz Expedition. Kittlitz described the bird in 1833. Three skins can be seen in the Museum of Saint Petersburg in Russia and two further in the Museum Naturalis in Leiden. In 1880 an expedition led by Otto Finsch was unable to find this bird. Another survey by the Whitney South Seas Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History in 1931 proved that this species was extinct. Its extinction was most likely caused by rats which escaped from whaling vessels during the 19th century and became widespread on Kosrae.

References

Bibliography Greenway, James (1967): Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World Day, David (1981): The Doomsday Book of Animals Fuller, Errol (2000): Extinct Birds Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001): A Gap in Nature

Citations

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet Biodiversity Heritage Library: Check-list of birds of the world. (1962) Biodiversity Heritage Library: University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. (1951) Catalogue of Life: Annual Checklist London Natural History Museum: A picture of five specimens

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kosrae starling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kosrae starling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kosrae starling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kosrae starling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kosrae starling

In research: Kosrae starling appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kosrae starling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kosrae starling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aplonis, Birds described in 1833, Birds of the Federated States of Micronesia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kosrae starling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kosrae starling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kosrae starling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kosrae starling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kosrae starling in simple terms?

Why does Kosrae starling matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kosrae starling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kosrae starling.