- Lamprotornis unicolor
Cosmopsarus unicolor, Spreo unicolor
Identification
30cm (11¾ in). A medium-sized, slender starling with a very long, narrow tail.
- Uniformly ash-grey plumage with some oily-green sheen on remiges and tail
- Long, narrow tail with some cross barring
- Blackish mask on lores and around eye
- Pale cream eye with dark inner ring
- Black bill and legs
Sexes similar. Juveniles are dull ashy brown, have pale brown feather tips, a dark brown eye and a horn-coloured bill.
Distribution
Found in interior Tanzania.
Common in its limited range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
This species has been placed in Lamprotornis2,3, Cosmopsarus4,5 and Spreo1.
Habitat
Acacia woodlands, gardens. Occurs from 1100m to 1800m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects, takes also some insects.
Forages in pairs or small groups on the ground.
Breeding
Breeding season from February to March. A monogamous species. Co-operative breeding occurs regularly. The nest is placed in a tree hole. Lays 3 - 4 eggs.
Movements
A resident species, some dry-season movements suggested.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Dickinson, EC, ed. 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed., with updates to December 2007 (Corrigenda 7). Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117010
- Gill, F and M Wright. 2008. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, USA. 2006. ISBN 9780691128276. Update (2008) downloaded from http://worldbirdnames.org/names.html.
- Sibley, CG and BL Monroe. 1996. Birds of the World, on diskette, Windows version 2.0. Charles G. Sibley, Santa Rosa, CA, USA.
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Ashy Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ashy_Starling
External Links
To search for the scientific name "Lamprotornis unicolor" use;
To search for the scientific name "Cosmopsarus unicolor" use
To search fo the Scientic name "Spreo unicolor" use
Search the Gallery using the common name:
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