Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
A small starling with dramatically different-looking sexes, although both sexes sport a distinctive dark bill and a lemon-yellow eye. The male is iridescent, ranging from plum-violet to purple-blue depending on the light, except for the white belly and vent. The female and juvenile have brown-streaked white bellies and darker brown-streaked upperparts. Pairs and small flocks occupy open woodland, riverine forest, and wooded parkland, where they feed on fruit and berries, being an important dispersal agent of mistletoes, although they also opportunistically take insects, particularly winged termites and ants. Some populations are resident, but most are migratory or nomadic.
识别特征
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.
分类信息
The violet-backed starling was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle, which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Turdus leucogaster in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The type locality is Benin in West Africa. The violet-backed starling is now the only species placed in the genus Cinnyricinclus that was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1840. The violet-backed starling was designated as the type species by the English naturalist George Robert Gray in 1855. The genus name is combines Cinnyris, a genus of sunbirds that had been introduced by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1816, and the Neo-Latin cinclus meaning "thrush". The specific leucogaster is from the Ancient Greek leukos meaning "white" and gastēr meaning "belly".<p>Three subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
- 命名信息
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Sturnidae
- 属
- Cinnyricinclus
分布与栖息地
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).
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
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.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Miombo Wren-Warbler
Calamonastes undosus
Long-tailed brownish warbler. The northern subspecies has gray-brown underparts with vague barring, while the southern subspecies has white underparts with clean dark barring. Found in broadleaved woodland and moist savanna. Often raises its tail in wren-like fashion. Northern birds give a repeated cheeping note; southern birds give a metallic, repeated, 3-note call. Northern birds are less distinctive but can still be recognized by their shape and the bars on their underparts.
Española Mockingbird
Mimus macdonaldi
Large gray-and-white songbird with a long tail, curved bill, black mask and mustache, and dark blotches on the underparts. Endemic to Galálapagos. Found only on the southeastern island of Española, where it is the only mockingbird. Very inquisitive and has almost no fear of people. Lone birds or small groups race around beaches boldly inspecting almost everything they encounter including shells, sea lions, cameras, and shoes. Often perches up on bushes or rocks.
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
An inhabitant of woodland, forest, parkland, and gardens with larger trees, especially oaks. Note stout black bill, thick black mustache, and black-and-white wing pattern with a patch of blue on the shoulder. White rump usually obvious in flight. Varies significantly across wide geographic range. Typically rather shy and difficult to see well, but sometimes feeds out on open ground; often seen flying across roads. Wide vocal repertoire: typical call a dry “scaaaaak,” as well as varied warbling and hooted notes.
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