Fischer's Starling
Encyclopedia
The Fischer's Starling, Spreo fischeri, is a bird
which is an uncommon resident breeder from southern Ethiopia
and Somalia
to eastern Kenya
and Tanzania
. It is found in dry open acacia
thornbush.
The English
and scientific names commemorate the German explorer Gustav Fischer
.
has mainly dully ash-grey plumage except for a white lower chest, belly and undertail. It has a white iris and dark bill. The sexes are alike, but the juvenile has browner plumage, a brown iris and a dull yellow lower mandible. There are no subspecies.
This species has a number of calls, but the most familiar is a wheezing cree-wee-creewoo. There is also a loud whistle and a metallic song.
Both parents feed the chicks, assisted by helpers, which are typically subadult or unmated birds.
, and sometimes takes fruit and berries, but its diet is mainly insect
s, taken from the ground. It normally forages alone or in pairs, but will form mixed flocks with Wattled Starling
s.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
which is an uncommon resident breeder from southern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
to eastern Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. It is found in dry open acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
thornbush.
The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and scientific names commemorate the German explorer Gustav Fischer
Gustav Fischer
Gustav Adolf Fischer was a German African explorer.-Biography:He was born at Barmen. In 1876 he accompanied the Denhardt East Africa exploring expedition to Zanzibar, where he settled as a physician, and in the following year explored Wituland and the southern Oromo country...
.
Description
The adult of this 18 cm long, 51 g weight starlingStarling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
has mainly dully ash-grey plumage except for a white lower chest, belly and undertail. It has a white iris and dark bill. The sexes are alike, but the juvenile has browner plumage, a brown iris and a dull yellow lower mandible. There are no subspecies.
This species has a number of calls, but the most familiar is a wheezing cree-wee-creewoo. There is also a loud whistle and a metallic song.
Breeding
The Fischer's Starling usually nests in thorn trees, typically 2.5 m above the ground. The roofed nest is made from grasses and lined with feathers. It has a ramp and opening in its side. Up to six red-spotted blue eggs make up the clutch, and are laid in April to May and September to November.Both parents feed the chicks, assisted by helpers, which are typically subadult or unmated birds.
Feeding
Like other starlings, the Fischer's Starling is an omnivoreOmnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, and sometimes takes fruit and berries, but its diet is mainly insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, taken from the ground. It normally forages alone or in pairs, but will form mixed flocks with Wattled Starling
Wattled Starling
The Wattled Starling is a nomadic resident in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland and cultivation....
s.