Which Starling? Kruger Park, SA (1 Viewer)

[MacBirdie]

Below a Starling I saw in the Kruger Park, South Africa, in October 2018. Close to Berg-en Dal Rest camp, on the way to Crocodile Bridge. Could this be a Black-bellied Starling? Or just a Greater Blue-eared one? Sorry for the bad picture. Thanks!

 

[delia todd]

Hi again MacBirdie - I've moved your post to the ID forum, as it will recieve a wider audience of people able to help you.

 

[MacBirdie]

Hi again MacBirdie - I've moved you're post to the ID forum, as it will recieve a wider audience of people able to help you.

Oeps, I was copy and pasting it there. I'll check and remove the double. Thanks.

 

[RogerioRodrigues]

Black-bellied Starling

 

[MacBirdie]

Black-bellied Starling

Thank you. I find them very difficult.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Black-bellied Starling

Can you explain why please? I can't see why it isn't a Cape, or Greater Blue-eared. I also find them very difficult, especially without multiple shots from different angles showing how the colours change with the light.

 

[RogerioRodrigues]

Can you explain why please? I can't see why it isn't a Cape, or Greater Blue-eared. I also find them very difficult, especially without multiple shots from different angles showing how the colours change with the light.

Well i,m not an area expert , have base my opinion looking to my own pictures on Cape and Great Blue that show far more colorful and less darker birds and also looking to Sasol guide where Black billied looks the most similar to this picture , but as you said it can be the light and angle and only this picture might not be enough to make an accurate identification , i should have said maybe Black-bellied Starling.

 

[KC Foggin]

It sure is a beautiful Starling and I love those eyes!

 

[MacBirdie]

Well i,m not an area expert , have base my opinion looking to my own pictures on Cape and Great Blue that show far more colorful and less darker birds and also looking to Sasol guide where Black billed looks the most similar to this picture , but as you said it can be the light and angle and only this picture might not be enough to make an accurate identification , i should have said maybe Black-bellied Starling.

I only have 1 picture. Location should be ok for Black-bellied. But I think Greater Blue-eared is more common.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Well i,m not an area expert , have base my opinion looking to my own pictures on Cape and Great Blue that show far more colorful and less darker birds and also looking to Sasol guide where Black billied looks the most similar to this picture , but as you said it can be the light and angle and only this picture might not be enough to make an accurate identification , i should have said maybe Black-bellied Starling.

I can just recall seeing an awful lot of starlings that appeared to have black bellies that weren't Black-bellied Starling, before eventually seeing real ones. The size difference was pretty noticeable as I recall.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I can just recall seeing an awful lot of starlings that appeared to have black bellies that weren't Black-bellied Starling, before eventually seeing real ones. The size difference was pretty noticeable as I recall.

I've looked at this closely Larry, I think structurally, it fits Black-bellied but they aren't common in Kruger, being mainly coastal, they are there though.

It's brighter than I'd expect, including the eye but it does seem to fit with a lot of the images I've looked at.

 

[MacBirdie]

I've looked at this closely Larry, I think structurally, it fits Black-bellied but they aren't common in Kruger, being mainly coastal, they are there though.

It's brighter than I'd expect, including the eye but it does seem to fit with a lot of the images I've looked at.

Below the unprocessed image, only cropped. Very sunny day. If this helps. Thanks everybody!

 

[Andy Adcock]

As I said, structurally, it looks good, did you have any other Starlings for comparison, was it smaller?

 

[MacBirdie]

As I said, structurally, it looks good, did you have any other Starlings for comparison, was it smaller?

No I didn't. And I had just arrived in the Kruger Park so it was a long time, years ago since I had seen one.

 

[birdboybowley]

I only saw Black-bellied in thicker forest.....albeit at Wilderness on the south coast....so not sure if habitat can help