Long-tailed glossy starling

The long-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan.

Long-tailed glossy starling
Parc Forestier de Hann, Senegal

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Lamprotornis
Species:
L. caudatus
Binomial name
Lamprotornis caudatus
(Statius Muller, 1776)

This common passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The long-tailed glossy starling builds a nest in hole. The normal clutch is two to four eggs.

This ubiquitous bird is gregarious and noisy, with a harsh grating call.

The adults of these 54-cm long birds have metallic green upperparts, violet underparts and a 34-cm long purple tail. The face is black with a yellow eye. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller, with a brownish tone to the plumage.

Long-tailed glossy starling

Like most starlings, the long-tailed glossy starling is an omnivore, eating fruit and insects.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Lamprotornis caudatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.