Emerald starling | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sturnidae |
Genus: | Lamprotornis |
Species: | L. iris |
Binomial name | |
Lamprotornis iris (Oustalet, 1879) | |
Synonyms | |
Coccycolius iris |
The emerald starling (Lamprotornis iris) is also known as the iris glossy starling. It is a small starling with a metallic green crown, upper body, wings and tail. The ear-coverts and underparts are metallic purple. Both sexes are similar. Most taxonomists unite it with many other glossy starlings in Lamprotornis , while others place it in a monotypic genus Coccycolius.
One of the smallest species among starlings, the emerald starling is distributed in West Africa. It inhabits lowlands and savanna of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The emerald starling feeds on figs, Haronga berries and other fruit, seeds, ants and other small insects. The cup-shaped nest is built in a tree cavity. The male and female cooperate in building the nest from leaves, and both bring food to chicks after they hatch. Females possess a brood patch—a spot on their stomach lacking feathers—that helps them transfer body heat to their eggs. [2]
It was formerly classified as data deficient by the IUCN, as available data was insufficient for judging its conservation status. Studies found that it was relatively widespread and locally common, and in 2015 its IUCN rating was changed to least concern. The emerald starling is caught for the wildlife trade and is locally threatened by mining activities, but overall this is unlikely to cause a major decline in the species. [1]
The long-tailed glossy starling is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan.
The purple starling, estorninho azul(argentina, peru, colombia), melro metálico (brazil) also known as the purple glossy starling, is a member of the starling family of birds.
The superb starling is a member of the starling family of birds. It was formerly known as Spreo superbus. They are long-lived birds that can live over 15 years in captivity.
The golden-breasted starling, also known as royal starling, is a medium-sized passerine in the starling family.
The Tasman starling was described in 1836 by John Gould as a species which occurred on both Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. In 1928 Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews recognized that the plumage of the race from Lord Howe Island was much browner and more greyish than the plumage of the Norfolk Island race and split the species into two forms, the Norfolk starling, and the Lord Howe starling. Both subspecies are now extinct, thus so the species.
Lamprotornis is a large genus of glossy-starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. They have glossy blue or green upper parts, which is due to hollow melanin granules arranged in a single layer near the feather barbule's surface. This unique arrangement led to some glossy starlings formerly placed in the genus Spreo being transferred to Lamprotornis, since they shared this feature.
The singing starling is a medium-sized starling.
The pied starling or African pied starling is a bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is common in most of its range, but largely absent from the arid northwest and the eastern lowlands of South Africa. It is found in open habitats such as grassland, karoo scrub, thornbush and agricultural land, and often associates with farm animals.
Fischer's starling is a bird which is an uncommon resident breeder from southern Ethiopia and Somalia to eastern Kenya and Tanzania. It is found in dry open acacia thornbush.
The greater blue-eared starling or greater blue-eared glossy-starling is a bird that breeds from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south through eastern Africa to northeastern South Africa and Angola. It is a very common species of open woodland bird, and undertakes some seasonal migration.
The Apo myna is a species of starling in the starling family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the Mount Apo starling or the Mount Apo king starling. It is the only member of the genus Goodfellowia. It is endemic to the Philippines found only in the tropical montane forests of Mindanao. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The sharp-tailed starling, also known as the sharp-tailed glossy-starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae.
Burchell's starling or Burchell's glossy-starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The monogamous and presumably sedentary species is native to dry and mesic woodlands and savannah of southern Africa. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell.
The bronze-tailed starling or bronze-tailed glossy-starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
The black-bellied starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
The Miombo blue-eared starling, also known as the southern blue-eared glossy-starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Hildebrandt's starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It forms a superspecies with and has previously been included in the same species as Shelley's starling, a migratory species ranging from Ethiopia and Somalia to Kenya. Both of these species have also been combined into a superspecies with the chestnut-bellied starling of West Africa. It was originally placed in the now defunct genus Notauges. The species is named for Johann Maria Hildebrandt, a German collector who was the first European to obtain specimens.
Meves's starling or Meves's glossy-starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The Cape starling, also known as red-shouldered glossy-starling or Cape glossy starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Southern Africa, where it lives in woodlands, bushveld and in suburbs.
Rüppell's starling, also known as Rueppell's glossy-starling or Rueppell's long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Chad, Tanzania, and Uganda.