Shelley's Starling
Lamprotornis shelleyi
A small dark starling of dry country. The upperparts are iridescent, with a blue sheen on the head and green on most of the wing. Also note the chestnut underparts and the yellow-orange eye. Found in dry thorn savanna and thorn scrub, usually in small wandering flocks, often with other species of starlings. Similar to Hildebrandt’s Starling, but slightly smaller and darker overall, with a deeper rufous belly and a less contrasting green wing. Also reminiscent of Superb Starling, but doesn’t have a white chest band. Gives mewing calls, often in a long, continuous series.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lamprotornis shelleyi
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1890)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Lamprotornis
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- AF : Ethiopia and Somalia to n Kenya and se South Sudan
- Non-breeding range
- to n Tanzania
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-throated Mountain-gem
Lampornis castaneoventris
Medium-sized hummingbird, male mostly green with bold white throat, white line behind eye, and blue crown. Gray tail in the western parts of range, blue in the east. Female not quite as colorful but still striking: bright buffy underparts with black cheek and white line behind eye. She is very similar to female Purple-throated Mountain-gem but has duller bronzy tail; only safely identified with a good view. A forest hummingbird that also comes out to edges and gardens, visits feeders.
Large Woodshrike
Tephrodornis virgatus
Nondescript large-billed bird with a bandit’s mask. Very similar to Common Woodshrike, but note heavier bill and lack of white eyebrow. A species of lowland and hill forests. Forages slowly and quietly, often in upper levels of forest and frequently with mixed-species flocks. Song is a rapid monotone series of whistles, the first one or two notes sometimes lower. Also frequently gives a harsh rattling call.
Chestnut Weaver
Ploceus rubiginosus
Large, heavy-billed weaver in which breeding males have an unusual color scheme: chestnut with a black head. Non-breeding males and females are plain grayish-brown with buff on the breast. Highly nomadic species of dry savanna, which can appear in large numbers after rains and begin nesting in large colonies. Males are oddly similar to Chestnut Sparrow, and they often nest alongside that species, but are easily separated by their larger size and black head. Non-breeding male and female are remarkably colorless, lacking the greenish and yellowish tones shown by similar weavers.
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