Species of bird
The lesser blue-eared starling or lesser blue-eared glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chloropterus starling in the family Sturnidae .
It is found in Benin , Burkina Faso , Burundi , Cameroon , the Central African Republic , Chad , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Eritrea , Ethiopia , Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Ivory Coast , Kenya , Liberia , Malawi , Malaysia , Mali , Mozambique , Namibia , Nigeria , Senegal , Sierra Leone , South Sudan , Sudan , Tanzania , Togo , Uganda , Zambia , and Zimbabwe .
Taxonomy
The lesser blue-eared starling was formally described in 1838 by the English zoologist William Swainson under the current binomial name Lamprotornis chloropterus based on a specimen collected in West Africa.[ 2] [ 3] Ancient Greek χλωρος/khlōros meaning "yellow" with -πτερος/-pteros meaning "-winged".[ 4]
Two subspecies are recognised:[ 5]
L. c. chloropterus Swainson , 1838 – Senegal, Gambia and Guinea to Eritrea, Ethiopia and KenyaL. c. elisabeth (Stresemann , 1924) – south Kenya to north Botswana and ZimbabweThe subspecies L. c. elisabeth has sometimes been considered as a separate species, the Miombo blue-eared starling.[ 5]
Behaviour
During the non-breeding season, it forms roosts of 500-1200 individuals.[ 6]
It eats insects and grains.[ 7]
It is sometimes kept as a pet.[ 8]
An immature bird in Ghana, moulting into adult plumage
References
^ BirdLife International (2017). "Lamprotornis chloropterus " . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017 : e.T106005777A111181748. doi :10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T106005777A111181748.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021 . ^ Swainson, William (1838). Animals in Menageries ^ Mayr, Ernst ; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-list of Birds of the World ^ Jobling, James A. "chloropterus" . The Key to Scientific Names . Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 14 March 2025 . ^ a b Gill, Frank ; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela , eds. (February 2025). "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers" . IOC World Bird List Version 15.1 . International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 14 March 2025 .^ Skoracki, Maciej; Patan, Milena; Unsoeld, Markus; Hromada, Martin; Kwieciński, Zbigniew; Marcisova, Iva (2024-01-13). "Diversity of Quill Mites of the Family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) Parasitizing Starlings of the Genus Lamprotornis (Passeriformes: Sturnidae)" . Diversity . 16 (1): 51. doi :10.3390/d16010051 ISSN 1424-2818 . ^ Sow, Ahmadou; Seye, Djiby; Faye, Emile; Benoit, Laure; Galan, Maxime; Haran, Julien; Brévault, Thierry (June 2020). "Birds and bats contribute to natural regulation of the millet head miner in tree-crop agroforestry systems" Crop Protection . 132 : 105127. Bibcode :2020CrPro.13205127S . doi :10.1016/j.cropro.2020.105127 ISSN 0261-2194 . {{cite journal }}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link )^ S. M, Salim; I.L, Abdullahi; F.M, Hamza (2024-01-17). "Assessment of birds trade in urban Kano" . Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal for the Tropics . 20 (3): 80– 88. doi :10.4314/bestj.v20i3.8 ISSN 2645-3142 .
External links
Lamprotornis chloropterus
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