Alternative names: Shining Starling; Colonial Starling
- Aplonis metallica
Includes: Violet-hooded Starling
Identification
25cm. A medium-sized Starling with a long, graduated tail.
- Prominent red eye
- Glossy satin-green nape with long, lanceolate feathers
- Black plumage with variable gloss, purple on crown and mantle, emerald-green on rump and underparts
- Brownish-black wings with some bluish iridescence
- Black bill and legs
Sexes similar. Juveniles have a dark brown eye (later changing to red), are chocolate-brown above, have a buffy chin and throat with brown shaft streaks and a brown breast and belly with broad pale buff feather margins.
circumscripta is glossed reddish-purple on head, mantle and breast.
Distribution
Found in eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and northwest Australia.
Common to abundant in most of its range.
Taxonomy
Five subspecies recognized:
- A. m. metallica on the Moluccas (including Sula Islands), New Guinea (and most of its satellite islands) and northeast Queensland, Australia
- A. m. inornata on Numfor and Biak, off northwest New Guinea
- A. m. purpureiceps on Admiralty Islands, northwest Bismarck Archipelago
- A. m. nitida on Bismarck Archipelago (except northwest) and Solomon Islands
- A. m. circumscripta on Damar and Tanimbar Islands, eastern Lesser Sundas (Indonesia)
circumscripta is sometimes regarded as full species, Violet-hooded Starling.
Was thought to form a superspecies with Long-tailed Starling.
Habitat
Found in rainforest, mangroves, coastal woodland, forest edge and gardens. Usually below 1000m but recorded up to 3000m in New Guinea.
Behaviour
Usually seen in flocks (up to several hundred birds), associates with Fruit-Doves, Moluccan Starling (on Seram) and Yellow-eyed Starling (in New Guinea).
Diet
Feeds mainly on fruit, takes also nectar and some insects.
Breeding
Breeding season differs through range. Breeds in colonies of 4 to 400 nest. A monogamous species, possibly also a co-operative breeder. The nest is a dome with a side entrance made of twigs, vine tendrils and bark strips. It's suspended from the end of twigs 10 - 30m above the ground. Lays 1 - 4 eggs.
Movements
Most populations are resident, some nomadic. Birds from Australia spend the non-breeding season in New Guinea.
Vocalisation
A short and fluty song, resembling the song of Island Canary. The song includes mimicry of other species like Hooded Pitta or Common Koel.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Metallic Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Metallic_Starling
