Superb starling
| Superb starling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Individual at Lake Naivasha, Kenya | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Lamprotornis |
| Species: | L. superbus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lamprotornis superbus (Rüppell, 1845) | |
The superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) is a member of the starling family of birds. It can commonly be found in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. It was formerly known as Spreo superbus.[2]
Description
This species is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long. Adults have black heads and iridescent blue-to-green back, upper breast, wings, and tail. The belly is red-orange, separated from the blue breast by a white bar. The undertail coverts and the wing linings are white. Juveniles have duller plumage with no more than a suggestion of the white breast band. Their eyes are brown at first, later grayish white.
The superb starling has a long and loud song consisting of trills and chatters. At midday it gives a softer song of repeated phrases. There are several harsh calls, the most complex of which is described as "a shrill, screeching skerrrreeee-cherrrroo-tcherreeeeeet."
This species feeds primarily on the ground, often below, or in the vicinity of, acacia trees. It is gregarious and is generally rather tame and unafraid of people.[3]
The appearance of the superb starling is very similar to Hildebrandt's starling, also found in East Africa. The superb starling is distinguished by having cream-colored eyes, as opposed to red eyes in the Hildebrandt's.
Gallery
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Superb starling seen in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
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Superb starling
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A family at Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany. The paler coloured juvenile is in between two adults.
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At London Zoo
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Lamprotornis superbus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Archived November 12, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Williams, J. (1980). Birds of East Africa. London: William Collins. p. 392. ISBN 0 00 219179 2.
- Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A.; and Pearson, David J. (1999). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Field Guide Edition. Princeton University Press. pp. 172–173, 514. ISBN 0-691-01022-6. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lamprotornis superbus. |
- Superb Starling videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection