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Burchell's Starling
Lamprotornis australis

Afrikaans: Grootglansspreeu

Identification:
Large size, heavy build, iridescent blue-green, blacker on face and ear coverts. Tail long and rounded, heavy, purplish and barred black in good light. Legs and feet long and strong. Wings very broad and rounded, flight laboured. Immature: Duller than adult, belly blackish.

Distribution:
Interior and west parts of South Africa to Angola.

Status:
Fairly common to abundant resident.

Habitat:
Woodland and savanna.

Habits:
Usually solitary or in pairs or small groups, sometimes in the company of other metallic starlings. Roosts communally in large flocks in trees or reedbeds, performing synchronized aerobatics before settling. Forages on bare ground, walking with long strides. Becomes tame in game reserves otherwise rather shy.

Food:
Insects, other invertebrates, fruit.

Breeding:
September to March (mainly October to January) in Transvaal. November to March in Namibia.
Nest:
Pad of grass in natural hole in tree, usually fairly high above ground, sometimes as low as 2m.
Clutch:
2-4 eggs. Eggs, bright sky blue to pale greenish blue, plain or sparsely spotted reddish purple mainly at thick end.
Incubation: Unrecorded
Nestling: Unrecorded.
(Source: Roberts)

Pic taken somewhere near Mopani.



Barcud

The following pictures of the Burchell's Starling was taken close to Afsaal picnic spot. It is amazing how the color of this bird change when the angle of the sun on it changes.

Also got this one in the Biyamiti camp site.

This one was taken in Talamati.

Saw this one at Nsemani dam near Satara. I just love the way the sun reflects on the feathers and you don't always know whether it is blue, green or purple, or all of the above


Burchell's Starling