MyKrugerHoliday
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Cape Glossy Starling
Kleinglansspreeu · Lamprotornis nitens
A beautiful starling that gleams metallic blue-green, flashing in the sunshine as it moves. It has a striking bright orange-yellow eye that stands out against its glossy feathers. It hops and struts on the ground searching for insects and fruit, and is a common, confident visitor around camps and rest stops, often hopping close to people hoping for crumbs.
Log your Cape Glossy Starling sighting — free →How to identify it
A bright orange-yellow eye on a glossy blue-green body, and smaller with a shorter tail than Burchell's starling.
Listen for its call
Warbling "trr-trr-chweee" chatter, run-on and bubbly.
Where to see it in Kruger
Common throughout the park in woodland and around every camp and picnic site, often very tame.
Did you know
Its feathers aren't really blue-green at all, the dazzling colour comes from the way light bounces off their structure.
Often confused with
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