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Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783)
Also calledAk Karınlı Sığırcık (tur) · Amethistspreeuw (nld) · Amethyst-Glanzstar (deu) · Amethystglanzstar (deu) · Ametistni čvorak (srp) · Ametüst-kuldnokk (est) · Cinnyricincle améthyste (fra) · Druid shailchuachach (gle) · Estornino amatista (spa) · Fjólustari (isl) · Merle améthyste (fra) · Reole (tsn) · Spréo améthyste (fra) · Storno ametista (ita)
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-coloured starling or amethyst starling, or Ndambamukula in the Venda language, is a relatively small species (17 cm) of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is the only member of the genus Cinnyricinclus. 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 found in trees and other locations away from the ground.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
Distribution
Breeding regions are AF. Breeding subregions are widespread, also sw Arabian Pen..
IOC World Bird List, v
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The violet-backed starling is a sexually dimorphic species with adults reaching a length of about 18 cm (7 in). The male has an iridescent violet head and back, and pure white underparts. The female has a thrush-like appearance with brown, boldly-streaked upper parts and white, heavily-streaked underparts. Both sexes have yellow irises, and black bills and legs.
Range & habitat
The violet-backed starling is a common bird in Sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in most locations with the exception of the dense rainforest of the Congo Basin, and the more arid parts of southwestern Africa. It is found in open woodland, gallery forests, forest verges and clearings. In the Chyulu Hills of Kenya, it occurs at altitudes up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).
What it does
The diet of the violet-backed starling includes fruits, seeds and arthropods. It sometimes hawks for insects in a manner similar to flycatchers. It largely feeds in the canopy, seldom foraging on the ground. The nest is usually located in a crevice in a tree within a few metres of the ground. Nesting material includes green leaves and dung. The female will incubate the clutch of two to four eggs, which are pale blue with reddish-brown spots, for 12–14 days. The male will help feed chicks until they fledge after about 21 days.
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Every page naming Cinnyricinclus leucogaster in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2489057.