De Montbeillard was informed of the stomach contents of a dissected specimen, consisting of seeds and the berries of ""Pseudobuxus"" (possibly "Eugenia buxifolia", a bush with sweet, orange berries). He noted that the bird weighed , and was fatter around June and July. Several accounts suggest that the hoopoe starling migrated on Réunion, spending six months in the lowlands and six months in the mountains. Food may have been easier to obtain in the lowlands during winter, with the birds breeding in the mountain forests during summer. The hoopoe starling probably nested in tree cavities. The Belgian biologist Michaël P. J. Nicolaï and colleagues pointed out in 2020 that the hoopoe starling had black skin combined with light plumage and lived in high irradiation zones, which may have evolved for ptotection against ultraviolet irradiation in this and other black-skinned birds.