Violet-backed starling
Violet-backed starling | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Male | |
![]() | |
Female both C. l. verreauxi Damaraland, Namibia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sturnidae |
Genus: | Cinnyricinclus Lesson, 1840 |
Species: | C. leucogaster |
Binomial name | |
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783) | |
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-colored starling or amethyst starling, is a relatively small species of starling in the family Sturnidae. This strongly sexually dimorphic species is found widely in the woodlands and savannah forest edges of mainland sub-Saharan Africa. It is rarely seen on the ground, but instead commonly found in trees and other sources away from the ground.
Breeding
The violet-backed starling is a sexually dimorphic species in which the males possess an iridescent violet back while the females are brown. During breeding, the female will incubate 2-4 eggs (these are pale blue with reddish/brown spots) for 12–14 days. The male will help feed chicks until they fledge after about 21 days.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Cinnyricinclus leucogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cinnyricinclus leucogaster. |
- "Plumcoloured Starling". The Atlas of Southern African Birds.