Golden-breasted Starling

King Glanzstar

The king starling ( Cosmopsarus regius ) is an East African songbird.

Features

The 35 -inch-long king starling is colored metallic blue-green on the upper side, the chest is purple and the abdomen golden yellow.

Occurrence

The state bird lives in savannas and light forests in acacia thickets; it is found in Somalia, Ethiopia, eastern Kenya and north-east Tanzania. The species is IUCN as often and safely.

Behavior

Unlike other glossy starlings, which mainly feed on fruit, the king starling eats almost exclusively insects, which it catches in flight or on the ground. Snails, spiders, crustaceans and small vertebrates such as lizards sometimes supplement the diet. The King Starling lives in small groups of three to ten birds, which support each other building a nest and raising the young (see breeding help).

Reproduction

The bird nests in small colonies. It builds in a tree hollow or in an abandoned woodpecker hole, a nest, which is lined with dry grass, roots and leaves. The clutch consists of three to five eggs, which have a pale blue-green color and are dotted fine reddish brown.