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'''Alternative names: Long-tailed Purple Starling; Meves's Long-tailed Starling; Meves's Glossy Starling; Angola Glossy Starling (''benguelensis'')''' | '''Alternative names: Long-tailed Purple Starling; Meves's Long-tailed Starling; Meves's Glossy Starling; Angola Glossy Starling (''benguelensis'')''' | ||
| − | [[Image:Mevess_Glossy_Starling.jpg|thumb| | + | [[Image:Mevess_Glossy_Starling.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Photo by {{user|safariranger|safariranger}}<br />Pafuri, [[Kruger National Park]], [[South Africa]], May 2006]] |
| − | + | ||
;[[:Category:Lamprotornis|Lamprotornis]] mevesii | ;[[:Category:Lamprotornis|Lamprotornis]] mevesii | ||
==Identification== | ==Identification== | ||
| − | Length 30-36 cm, mass 65-95 g. A glossy starling with a dark eye and long, graduated tail. | + | Length 30-36 cm (11¾-14¼ in), mass 65-95 g. A glossy starling with a dark eye and long, graduated tail. |
| − | * Blackish lores and ear-coverts | + | * Blackish [[Topography#Heads|lores]] and ear-[[Topography#General Anatomy|coverts]] |
* Blue-green rest of head, nape and mantle (with some purple overtones) | * Blue-green rest of head, nape and mantle (with some purple overtones) | ||
* Purple back, bronze rump | * Purple back, bronze rump | ||
| − | * Blue-green wing with purple sheen on primaries | + | * Blue-green wing with purple sheen on [[Topography#Wings|primaries]] |
* Blue-violet tail with dark barring | * Blue-violet tail with dark barring | ||
* Blue-green breast | * Blue-green breast | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
Sexes similar, females duller and smaller than males. Juveniles have matt black underparts. | Sexes similar, females duller and smaller than males. Juveniles have matt black underparts. | ||
====Similar species==== | ====Similar species==== | ||
| + | [[Image:Meves'sStarlingRafiki!.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|Rafiki|Rafiki}}<br />Moremi, [[Botswana]], July 2017]] | ||
Has a less contrasting mask than [[Burchell's Glossy-Starling]] and long, narrow and rounded central tail-feathers. | Has a less contrasting mask than [[Burchell's Glossy-Starling]] and long, narrow and rounded central tail-feathers. | ||
==Distribution== | ==Distribution== | ||
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Locally common in its range. | Locally common in its range. | ||
==Taxonomy== | ==Taxonomy== | ||
| + | ====Subspecies==== | ||
''Lamprotornis mevesii'' has three subspecies:<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup> | ''Lamprotornis mevesii'' has three subspecies:<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup> | ||
*''L. m. mevesii'' | *''L. m. mevesii'' | ||
| Line 38: | Line 40: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| − | #{{Ref- | + | #{{Ref-Clements6thAug17}}#{{Ref-Hockeyetal05}}#{{Ref-SinclairRyan03}}#{{Ref-HBWVol14}} |
{{ref}} | {{ref}} | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
{{GSearch|Lamprotornis+mevesii}} | {{GSearch|Lamprotornis+mevesii}} | ||
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Lamprotornis]] | [[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Lamprotornis]] | ||
Revision as of 00:27, 7 September 2017
Alternative names: Long-tailed Purple Starling; Meves's Long-tailed Starling; Meves's Glossy Starling; Angola Glossy Starling (benguelensis)
- Lamprotornis mevesii
Identification
Length 30-36 cm (11¾-14¼ in), mass 65-95 g. A glossy starling with a dark eye and long, graduated tail.
- Blackish lores and ear-coverts
- Blue-green rest of head, nape and mantle (with some purple overtones)
- Purple back, bronze rump
- Blue-green wing with purple sheen on primaries
- Blue-violet tail with dark barring
- Blue-green breast
- Bronze centre of belly, rest of underparts purple
- Dark brown eye
- Black bill and legs
- benguelensis with bronzy green upperparts, a coppery tail and dark bronzy green underparts.
Sexes similar, females duller and smaller than males. Juveniles have matt black underparts.
Similar species
Has a less contrasting mask than Burchell's Glossy-Starling and long, narrow and rounded central tail-feathers.
Distribution
South-central Africa: Southern Angola, northern Namibia, northern and eastern Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, western Mozambique and far-northern South Africa.
Locally common in its range.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Lamprotornis mevesii has three subspecies:1
- L. m. mevesii
- Angola and northern Namibia to Botswana, southern Malawi and far-northern South Africa
- L. m. violacior
- Northern Namibia and south-western Angola
- L. m. benguelensis
- Mopane woodlands of the southern end of the escarpment of western Angola
Forms a superspecie with Rueppell's Glossy-Starling and Long-tailed Glossy-Starling.
Habitat
Mopane woodland and riverine forest. benguelensis more in miombo woodland. Occurs up to 1300m.
Behaviour
Forages on the ground, often in groups of up to ten individuals; eats insects, flowers and fruit.
Breeding
Monogamous. The nest is built in a hole in a tree, usually 1-4 m above the ground. Three to five eggs are laid November to April and incubated for 18 days by the female. Parasitised by Great Spotted Cuckoo.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Meves's Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Meves%27s_Starling
