Alternative name: Burchell's Starling
- Lamprotornis australis
Identification
Length 30 cm, mass 112-128 g.
Adult: Plumage is mostly glossy blue-green; ear coverts and carpal patch bronze, rump purple, and tail violet with blackish bars.
Bill, legs and feet black.
Distribution
Botswana, central and northern Namibia, southern Angola, western Zambia, northern South Africa and eastern Swaziland.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Open woodland and savanna.
Behaviour
A common resident that occurs singly, in small groups, or in flocks, sometimes with other glossy starlings. Feeds largely on the ground, mainly for insects; also eats small vertebrates, fruit and flowers. Often a scavenger at picnic sites in game reserves.
Breeding
Monogamous.
Usually nests in a hole in a tree; often an old woodpecker or barbet nest. Two to four eggs are laid October to April.
Parasitised by the Great Spotted Cuckoo and the Greater Honeyguide.
Vocalisation
The song comprises short phrases of rolling whistles and harsh notes.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Burchell's Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Burchell%27s_Starling
