Highly conspicuous in flight, this bird is covered in beautiful shades of glossy metallic green, blue, and bronze.

Meet the Superb Starling

“Superb Starling 3” by jimmyedmonds is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) is a glossy bird with blue-green upperparts and darker blue tinges on the nape. The upperwing area is a shiny glossy metallic green with black spots on the tips. The tail is rather short and a glossy blue-green. The under regions, including the chin, throat, and breast area are a similar color to the upperparts. A narrow white collar crosses the breast separating the blue-green upperparts from the chestnut-shaded belly. The flanks and thighs are also chestnut in color. The undertail coverts are white as are the underwing coverts. The head is bronzy-black on the crown and ear-coverts. The bill is black, eyes are whitish. Their legs and feet are black.

“Superb Starling” by lydurs is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Juvenile birds are duller than adults with less gloss on the wings and tail. It has similar colors to the adult plumage, but the white breast band is more indistinct.

Their eyes are very dark, the bill is whitish to yellowish. The legs and feet are pinkish-grey.

“Superb Starling,” by jimmyedmonds (cropped) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

This species has a very large range and can commonly be found in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

“Superb Starling” by wwarby is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Superb Starling frequents open scrub and woodland, even in very arid areas. It is also found in gardens and cultivated areas, lakeshores, and close to human housing.

“Superb Starling” by wwarby is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Superb Starling dines mainly on insects caught at ground level, such as beetles, flies, ants, termites, grasshoppers, mantids, and caterpillars. They will also sometimes dine on berries and small fruits of several plant species, and nectar from Agave sisalana.

“Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)” by Lip Kee is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Primarily a monogamous bird, some Superb Starling females may mate with other males. They are cooperative breeders where helper birds contribute to feeding the young. The nest is built with twigs and is dome-shaped with a side entrance, built between 1.50 to 6 meters above the ground, usually in a thorny bush or tree for extra protection. They have also been known to take over the nests of other birds by ejecting the eggs. Within the nest the female lays 4 dark eggs, incubating them on her own for 12 to 14 days. Chicks are fed by both adults and by helpers. Young fledge about 17-25 days after hatching, but they still depend on parents and helpers for food for 4-7 weeks after leaving the nest.

“Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)” by Lip Kee is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Superb Starling is abundant and widespread in its range. The species is not threatened at this current moment.

“Superb Starling, Orange Eye” by MaulikNathavani is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

You can watch this bird right here in the video below: