Violet-backed starling
| Violet-backed starling | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| male above, female below | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Cinnyricinclus |
| Species: | C. leucogaster |
| Binomial name | |
| Cinnyricinclus leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783) | |
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-coloured starling or amethyst starling, is a relatively small species of starling in the Sturnidae family. This strongly sexually dimorphic species is found widely in the woodlands and savannah forest edges of mainland sub-Saharan Africa. It is rarely seen on the ground.
Breeding
C. leucogaster is a sexually dimorphic species in which the males possess an iridescent violet back whilst the females are brown. During breeding, the female will incubate 2-4 eggs (these are pale blue with reddish/brown spots) for 12-14 days. The male will help feed chicks until they fledge after about 21 days.
A male violet-backed starling
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Cinnyricinclus leucogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cinnyricinclus leucogaster. |
- (Plum-coloured starling =) Violet-backed starling - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
A male violet-backed starling