Fischer's Starling
Lamprotornis fischeri
An unusual gray-and-white starling of dry country. Note the gray hood, pale eye, whitish crown, and gray rump. The large white patches on the underwing are distinctive in flight. Found in dry savanna, in cultivated areas, and around human habitation, usually in flocks. Most similar to Wattled Starling, but has a gray rather than white rump, a pale eye, and a distinct gray hood. The most common call is a rising, slurred whistle, sometimes given in a long series.
Identification
The adult of this 18 cm (7.1 in) long, 51 g (1.8 oz) starling has mainly dully ash-grey plumage except for a white lower chest, belly and undertail. It has a white iris and dark bill. The sexes are alike, but the juvenile has browner plumage, a brown iris and a dull yellow lower mandible. There are no subspecies.<p>This species has a number of calls, but the most familiar is a wheezing cree-wee-creewoo. There is also a loud whistle and a metallic song.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lamprotornis fischeri
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1884)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Lamprotornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Fischer's starling usually nests in thorn trees, typically 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) above the ground. The roofed nest is made from grasses and lined with feathers. It has a ramp and opening in its side. Up to six red-spotted blue eggs make up the clutch, and are laid in April to May and September to November.<p>Both parents feed the chicks, assisted by helpers, which are typically subadult or unmated birds.<p>Like other starlings, Fischer's starling is an omnivore, and sometimes takes fruit and berries, but its diet is mainly insects, taken from the ground. It normally forages alone or in pairs, but will form mixed flocks with wattled starlings.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Snowy-throated Babbler
Stachyris oglei
A small, dark brown bird with a contrastingly black-and-white face. The black cheeks are sandwiched between a long, thick white eyebrow and a white throat. Extremely difficult to see as it moves quickly through the dense undergrowth in evergreen forests. Almost always seen in mixed-species foraging flocks. Calls include sharp whistles and hard “tic” sounds delivered in succession.
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Henicorhina leucophrys
Very small, stub-tailed wren of humid highland and foothill forest. Typically in areas with thick cover, from brush piles to dense flower banks, where notoriously difficult to see well. Common call is a hard scolding rattle. Varied, rich whistled songs have a rollicking cadence, distinct from songs of other wrens in the same habitat. Note the boldly striped face, gray breast, rich dark-brown upperparts, and short tail. White-breasted Wood-Wren occurs in lowlands.
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