The hoopoe starling (Fregilupus varius), also known as the Réunion starling, was a passerine bird endemic to Réunion Island, in the Mascarene archipelago of the Indian Ocean, where it had no natural competitors. In 1759, the common myna (Acridotheres tristis), a starling native to South Asia, was introduced to the island to control locust infestations that threatened agricultural crops. Competition with the introduced species, together with the progressive destruction of its habitat, nest predation by rats, and hunting, contributed to the hoopoe starling's decline and eventual extinction. The last individuals disappeared between 1835 and 1840. Only 23 specimens survive today in museum collections worldwide, including the specimen held at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “Giacomo Doria” in Genoa.