Scientific Classification

Common Name

golden-breasted starling, royal starling

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Sturnidae

Genus Species

Lamprotornis regius

Fast Facts

Description

The golden-breasted starling is a small bird with a bright, blue tail and back. These birds have a green head, white eyes, and blue-violet wings. The breast and belly are yellow.

Size

30 to 37.5 cm (12 to 15 in.); wingspan 11.5 to 13 cm (4.6 to 5.6 in.)

Diet

These birds feed primarily on insects with termites being a favorite. They catch the termites by opening their ground tunnels with rapid flicks of their bill.

Incubation

11 to 14 days

Clutch Size

3 to 5 eggs

Fledging Duration

Approximately 3 weeks

Life Span

12 to 14 years

Range

This species has a very large range and can be found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.

Habitat

The total population is unknown but scientists believe that there are at least 10,000 mature individuals. The population is stable and not severely fragmented. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as locally common.

Population

Status 

IUCN: Least Concern
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed

Fun Facts

In some regions, starlings are also referred to as grackles.

These birds live in small family groups of 3 to 12 members and are very noisy.

Golden-breasted starlings exhibit cooperative breeding, where group members assist with nest-building and feeding the young. In this sort of arrangement, breeding females often solicit food from other members of the group to feed to the young. She crouches and quivers while gaping and vocalizing. The group either ignores her and feeds the young themselves, or gives her part of the food to feed the young, or gives her all the food.

This species will nest in tree cavities often constructed and abandoned by woodpeckers.

Ecology and Conservation

Starlings have been intentionally introduced to North America, Hawaii, and Australia to aid in insect control.

The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats

Bibliography

Austin, G. Birds of the World. Golden Press, Inc., New York. 1961.

Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981.

Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. 1979.

Perrins, C. M. and A. L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts on File Pub. 1985.

Perrins, C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990.

honoluluzoo.org/Golden-breasted_Starling.htm

BirdLife International 2016. Lamprotornis regius . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22710817A94262230. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22710817A94262230.en. Downloaded on 12 March 2020.

Photo Credit: Golden-breasted_starling_(Cosmopsarus_regius).jpg. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Image by: ErgoSum88. Year Created: 2 March 2008. Website: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden-breasted_starling_(Cosmopsarus_regius).JPG. License: CC by SA 3.0.