#emerald starling

[spinus-pinus]

Emerald Starling Lamprotornis iris

1/29/2024 San Diego Zoo Safari Park, California

[awkwardbirdsdreaming]

Bird #32 - the emerald starling (LC)

The emerald starling is found in woodlands and lush savannahs in parts of West Africa.

Any iridescent colours you see in birds are not produced by pigments. Instead, teeny tiny structures in the feather reflect the colours we see while 'trapping' other colour wavelengths so they never make into our eyes. In starlings, these structures are made from hollowed out granules that usually hold melanin. So the pigment granules have been repurposed to make these vibrant structural colours instead! (isn't that a great thing nature does? if an old thing isn't working, make it beautiful rather than giving up on it?)

[triruntu]

#519, an emerald starling.

Requests for birds are open, updates happen on Thursdays. [project tag] | [kofi] [commissions] Find me on: [twitter]

[proton-wobbler]

Round 2, Poll 17

Emerald Starling vs Zigzag Heron

sources under cut

Emerald Starling

eBird Sightings - 27

IUCN Status - Least Concern

Location: Africa - South Guinea, North Sierra Leone and Central Ivory Coast

Zigzag Heron

eBird Sightings - 1,416

IUCN Status - Least Concern

Location: South America - Basins of the Orinoco, Negro, and Amazon rivers

"just look at them; they say "ooo""

Vote

Emerald Starling

Zigzag Heron

Voting ended onAug 20, 2023

Images: Starling (Michael Whitlock); Heron (Tim Liguori)

Stats pulled from Birds of the World

[sues-photography]

Schillerglanzstar - Emerald starling - Lamprotornis iris

[libberkib]

Emerald Starling Gouache, Metallic Watercolor, and Micron Pen on 8 inch Wood Panel $65, message if interested!

SOLD

Print Shop | Commissions | Kofi

[oedipus101]

okay but the emerald starling has the look

[birdstudies]

April 17, 2019 - Emerald Starling or Iris Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis iris)

Found in southern Guinea, northern Sierra Leone, and central Ivory Coast, these small starlings inhabit open savannas and woodlands. They feed on fruit, insects, and seeds, usually foraging in loose flocks of 15 to 20 birds. Pairs build nests from leaves in cavities in tree trunks and stumps. Both parents feed and care for the chicks, possibly with help from other adults.