Red-winged Starling
Encyclopedia
The Red-winged Starling, Onychognathus morio, is a bird
of the starling family Sturnidae native to eastern Africa
from Ethiopia
to the Cape in South Africa
. It is known in Afrikaans as the Rooivlerkspreeu.
has mainly iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes. The Ethiopian subspecies O. m. rupellii is longer-tailed than the nominate form and intergrades with it.
This species has a number of whistled calls, but the most familiar is the contact call, cher-leeeoo.
This starling may be confused with other similar starling species, such as its sister species the Pale-winged Starling
. The difference between the two is that the Red-winged has rufous primaries while the Pale-winged has whitish primaries edged with orange. The Pale-winged has a bright red or orange eye, while the Red-winged's is dark, almost black. Only the female of the Red-winged has a grey head.
from Ethiopia
to the Cape in South Africa
. This species has a wide habitat tolerance. It may be found in forest
, savanna
, grassland
, wetlands, fynbos
, farmland
s and commercial plantation
s, as well as urban centres. It is now common in many urban areas, due to the similarity between the structure of tall buildings and houses as nest sites with the cliffs of its original habitat. It may also nest in residential areas, breeding in roofs and apertures and up house eaves.
, taking a wide range of seeds, berries, nectar from plants such as Aloe
and Schotia brachypetala
, and invertebrate
s, such as the beetle species Pachnoda sinuata
. They may take nestlings and adults of certain bird species, such as the African Palm Swift
. It will also scavenge on carrion and human food scrap.
The Red-winged Starling will obviously only perch on plant structures that will be able to support its weight; therefore when taking nectar it will choose certain species with strong, robust racemes with easily accessible flowers, such as that of Aloe ferox
and Aloe marlothii
, and not Aloe arborescens
. Large flowers that can support the bird's weight, such as that of Strelitzia nicolai
and certain Protea
species, are also chosen.
Fruit species that this species may feed on include figs, such as the Sycamore Fig and others, marulas, date palm fruit, berries from species such as wild olive Olea europaea spp. africana and Euphorbia, and commercial fruit such as apples, grape
s, citrus fruit and others.
In rural areas, Red-winged Starlings are often spotted perching on livestock and game, such as cattle
, klipspringer
s and giraffes, a trait shared by the Pale-winged Starling
, and may take insects and ectoparasites such as ticks, much in the manner of oxpecker
s.
This starling is a cliff nester, breeding on rocky cliffs, outcrops and gorges. The Red-winged Starling builds a lined nest of grass and twigs, and with a mud base, on a natural or structural ledge. It lays 2–4, usually three, blue eggs, spotted with red-brown. The female incubates the eggs for 13–14 days, with another 22–28 days to hatching. This starling is commonly double-brooded. It may be parasitised
by the Great Spotted Cuckoo
.
s, Pied Crow
s, and Gymnogene.
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...
of the starling family Sturnidae native to eastern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
from 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...
to the Cape in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is known in Afrikaans as the Rooivlerkspreeu.
Taxonomy
The Red-winged Starling was first described by Linnaeus in 1766. Two subspecies are recognised.Description
The male of this 27 – long 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 iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes. The Ethiopian subspecies O. m. rupellii is longer-tailed than the nominate form and intergrades with it.
This species has a number of whistled calls, but the most familiar is the contact call, cher-leeeoo.
This starling may be confused with other similar starling species, such as its sister species the Pale-winged Starling
Pale-winged Starling
The Pale-winged Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
. The difference between the two is that the Red-winged has rufous primaries while the Pale-winged has whitish primaries edged with orange. The Pale-winged has a bright red or orange eye, while the Red-winged's is dark, almost black. Only the female of the Red-winged has a grey head.
Distribution and habitat
The range is down eastern AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
from 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...
to the Cape in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. This species has a wide habitat tolerance. It may be found in forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, wetlands, fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
, farmland
Farmland
Farmland generally refers to agricultural land, or land currently used for the purposes of farming. It may also refer to:*Arable land, land capable of cultivating crops*Farmland, Indiana, a town in the United States...
s and commercial plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, as well as urban centres. It is now common in many urban areas, due to the similarity between the structure of tall buildings and houses as nest sites with the cliffs of its original habitat. It may also nest in residential areas, breeding in roofs and apertures and up house eaves.
Food and feeding
Like other starlings, the Red-winged Starling is an omnivoreOmnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, taking a wide range of seeds, berries, nectar from plants such as Aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
and Schotia brachypetala
Schotia brachypetala
Schotia brachypetala or Huilboerboon is a leguminous flowering tree in the family Fabaceae and the sub-family Caesalpinioideae...
, and invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, such as the beetle species Pachnoda sinuata
Pachnoda sinuata
Pachnoda sinuata, the garden fruit chafer or brown-and-yellow fruit chafer, is a species of beetle found in Africa from the Congo basin southwards.-Identification:...
. They may take nestlings and adults of certain bird species, such as the African Palm Swift
African Palm Swift
The African Palm Swift is a small swift. It is very similar to the Asian Palm Swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis, and was formerly considered to be the same species....
. It will also scavenge on carrion and human food scrap.
The Red-winged Starling will obviously only perch on plant structures that will be able to support its weight; therefore when taking nectar it will choose certain species with strong, robust racemes with easily accessible flowers, such as that of Aloe ferox
Aloe ferox
Aloe ferox, also known as Cape Aloe, Bitter Aloe, Red Aloe and Tap Aloe, is a species of aloe indigenous to South Africa's Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho....
and Aloe marlothii
Aloe marlothii
Aloe marlothii is a large, single-stemmed Southern African aloe of rocky places and open flat country, occasionally growing to 6m tall...
, and not Aloe arborescens
Aloe arborescens
Aloe arborescens, commonly known as the Krantz Aloe, belongs to the Aloe genus, which it shares with the well known and studied Aloe vera plant. This species is also relatively popular among gardeners and has recently been studied for possible medical uses...
. Large flowers that can support the bird's weight, such as that of Strelitzia nicolai
Strelitzia nicolai
Strelitzia nicolai, commonly known as the Giant White Bird of Paradise or Wild Banana are banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 6 m and the clumps formed can spread as far as 3.5 m ....
and certain Protea
Protea
Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
species, are also chosen.
Fruit species that this species may feed on include figs, such as the Sycamore Fig and others, marulas, date palm fruit, berries from species such as wild olive Olea europaea spp. africana and Euphorbia, and commercial fruit such as apples, grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, citrus fruit and others.
In rural areas, Red-winged Starlings are often spotted perching on livestock and game, such as cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, klipspringer
Klipspringer
The Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus, is a small species of African antelope.-Name:The word klipspringer literally means "rock jumper" in Afrikaans/Dutch...
s and giraffes, a trait shared by the Pale-winged Starling
Pale-winged Starling
The Pale-winged Starling is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, and may take insects and ectoparasites such as ticks, much in the manner of oxpecker
Oxpecker
The oxpeckers are two species of bird which make up the family Buphagidae. Some ornithologists regard them as a subfamily Buphaginae within the starling family Sturnidae but they appear to be quite distinct. Oxpeckers are endemic to the savanna of Sub-Saharan Africa...
s.
Breeding
The Red-winged Starling is territorial, aggressive and intolerant when nesting, and will attack other species, including domestic animals and humans. When not breeding, Red-winged Starlings are highly gregarious and will associate with other members of their species in large flocks.This starling is a cliff nester, breeding on rocky cliffs, outcrops and gorges. The Red-winged Starling builds a lined nest of grass and twigs, and with a mud base, on a natural or structural ledge. It lays 2–4, usually three, blue eggs, spotted with red-brown. The female incubates the eggs for 13–14 days, with another 22–28 days to hatching. This starling is commonly double-brooded. It may be parasitised
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
by the Great Spotted Cuckoo
Great Spotted Cuckoo
The Great Spotted Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....
.
Predators
It is preyed upon by other birds such as Peregrine FalconPeregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s, Pied Crow
Pied Crow
The Pied Crow is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus.Structurally, the Pied Crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized Raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali Crow where their ranges meet in the Horn of Africa...
s, and Gymnogene.