It has a lengthy warbling song which may include an imitation of sounds it hears in its environment. African Gallery Home | Starlings of Africa. He used the French name Le merle verd d'Angola and the Latin Merula Viridis Angolensis. [12] The Cape starling is found where trees in which it can roost and nest are found. [8] There are no recognised subspecies. [9], The Cape starling has an adult length of about 25 cm (10 in) and weight of about 100 grams (3.5 oz). [7] This species is now placed in the genus Lamprotornis that was introduce by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1820. © 2016 Sibuya Game Reserve. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. They have glossy blue or green upperparts, which is due to hollow melanin granules arranged in a single layer near the feather barbule’s surface. The head is blue with darker ear coverts and the upper parts of the body are greenish-blue. Lamprotornis is a large genus of glossy-starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. (This phenomenal photo was taken by Senior Field Guide Christiaan). [3], In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Cape starling in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Angola. It does occur in open woodland, plantations, savannah, bushveld, rough grassland, parks and gardens and is quite numerous in the central Kalahari where isolated trees occur. It nests in crevices such as holes in trees and out-competes other birds seeking to use these holes. Account Holder: Sibuya Game Reserve & Lodge (Pty) Ltd Bank Name: NEDBANK Branch Code: 198765 Account Number: 1 156 708 079 Swift code: NEDSZAJJ. A glistening Cape Glossy Starling following one of the mega-herbivores hoping that this giant will flush out some juicy insect as it stomps around. Another psychedelically-colored starling is the Cape Glossy Starling. Its range encompasses the extreme south of Gabon, the west and south of Angola, the extreme south of Zambia, the southern half of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. It is habituated to humans and its diet includes fruit, insects and nectar. Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. [2] In an observed nest in a thorn tree at the edge of the Kalahari, the chicks were fed predominantly on grasshoppers, locusts, ants and beetles, and were also given fruit, insect larvae and other small invertebrates.[13]. Affordable and search from millions of royalty free images, photos and vectors. AUDIO. All Rights Reserved. Its range encompasses the extreme south of Gabon, the west and south of Angola, the extreme south of Zambia, the southern half of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. [11], The Cape starling is found in the southern part of Africa. It usually feeds on the ground often foraging alongside other species of starlings such as the pied starling, the common starling, the greater blue-eared starling, the lesser blue-eared starling, the wattled starling and Burchell’s starling. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Similar Images . The Cape starling is found where trees in which it can roost and nest are found. Greater blue-eared starling or greater blue-eared glossy-starling.. It is not a bird of dense forest or of pasture and is not associated with any particular plant type. It sometimes feeds on ectoparasites that it picks off the backs of animals and it sometimes visits bird tables for scraps. Find the perfect african starling stock photo. In the other countries in its range it is a resident (non-migratory) species and its total extent of occurrence is about 3,000,000 square kilometres (1,200,000 sq mi). It usually feeds on the ground often foraging alongside other species of starlings such as the pied starling, the common starling, the greater blue-eared starling, the lesser blue-eared starling, the wattled starling and Burchell's starling. [6] The specific name nitens is Latin for "shining" or "glittering". It sometimes feeds on ectoparasites that it picks off the backs of animals and it sometimes visits bird tables for scraps. [2], The Cape starling is a gregarious bird and forms large flocks in the non-breeding season. [5] When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. [4] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Turdus nitens and cited Brisson's work. [5] One of these was the Cape starling.