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To the Beauty of Birds

The Golden-breasted Starling Lamprotornis regius, also known as Royal Starling, is a medium-sized, up to 35 cm long, passerine in the starling family.

The adult has a metallic green head and upperback, bright golden yellow breast and belly, dark bill and legs, white iris and metallic violet blue on wings, back, neck and its long tail feathers. Both sexes are similar. The young is duller than adult.

The Golden-breasted Starling is distributed to the grassland, savanna and shrubland of East Africa, from Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and northern Tanzania.

The Golden-breasted Starling is a social animal, living in groups of three to twelve individuals.

The Golden-breasted Starling molts once a year, after the breeding season. The female usually lays between three to five pale green eggs with red speckles. It nests in tree holes. The nest is made from leaves, roots and other vegetation matters. Entire family groups cooperate in raising young by gathering food and nesting materials.

Its diet consists mainly of insects and termites. Adult birds catch insects in flight and dig up termite mounds to find prey.

Widespread throughout its habitat range, the Golden-breasted Starling is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The first photo was taken at the San Diego Zoo. Because of the fine mesh of the cage it is not a great photo. However, it is such a striking bird that this photo is better than none. The next 3 were taken at the Toledo Zoo. Photos 2651 and 3783 were taken at Samburo Natinal Preserve, Kenya

Wikipedia

Golden-breasted Starling

Golden-breasted Starling 5776

Golden-breasted Starling 5819

Golden-breasted Starling 5696

Golden-breasted Starling 5776

Golden-breasted Starling 5819

Golden-breasted Starling 5696

Starling Golden-breasted 2651

range Golden-breasted Starling