Lesser blue-eared starling

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Lesser blue-eared starling
Lesser Blue-eared Starling (Lamprotornis chloropterus), Koubalan, Senegal.jpg
L. c. chloropterus in Senegal
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Lamprotornis
Species:
L. chloropterus
Binomial name
Lamprotornis chloropterus
Swainson, 1838
Afrika Verbreitungsgebiet-Distribution area Lamprotornis chloropterus.png
Ranges of northern and southern race
     L. c. chloropterus
     L. c. elisabeth

The lesser blue-eared starling or lesser blue-eared glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chloropterus) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lesser blue-eared starling was formally described in 1838 by the English zoologist William Swainson under the current binomial name Lamprotornis chloropterus based on a specimen collected in West Africa. [2] [3] The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek χλωρος/khlōros meaning "yellow" with -πτερος/-pteros meaning "-winged". [4]

Two subspecies are recognised: [5]

The subspecies L. c. elisabeth has sometimes been considered as a separate species, the Miombo blue-eared starling. [5]

Behaviour

During the non-breeding season, it forms roosts of 500-1200 individuals. [6]

It eats insects and grains. [7]

It is sometimes kept as a pet. [8]

An immature bird in Ghana, moulting into adult plumage Lesser Blue Eared Starling.jpg
An immature bird in Ghana, moulting into adult plumage

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2017). "Lamprotornis chloropterus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T106005777A111181748. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T106005777A111181748.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Swainson, William (1838). Animals in Menageries. The Cabinet Cyclopedia. London: Longman, Orne, Brown, Green, Longmans and Taylor. p. 359.
  3. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 95.
  4. ↑ Jobling, James A. "chloropterus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  6. ↑ Skoracki, Maciej; Patan, Milena; Unsoeld, Markus; Hromada, Martin; Kwieciński, Zbigniew; Marcisova, Iva (2024-01-13). "Diversity of Quill Mites of the Family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) Parasitizing Starlings of the Genus Lamprotornis (Passeriformes: Sturnidae)". Diversity. 16 (1): 51. doi: 10.3390/d16010051 . ISSN   1424-2818.
  7. ↑ Sow, Ahmadou; Seye, Djiby; Faye, Emile; Benoit, Laure; Galan, Maxime; Haran, Julien; Brévault, Thierry (June 2020). "Birds and bats contribute to natural regulation of the millet head miner in tree-crop agroforestry systems" . Crop Protection. 132: 105127. Bibcode:2020CrPro.13205127S. doi: 10.1016/j.cropro.2020.105127 . ISSN   0261-2194.
  8. ↑ S. M, Salim; I.L, Abdullahi; F.M, Hamza (2024-01-17). "Assessment of birds trade in urban Kano". Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal for the Tropics. 20 (3): 80–88. doi: 10.4314/bestj.v20i3.8 . ISSN   2645-3142.
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