Hildebrandt's Starling

Lamprotornis hildebrandti

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWoodlandCavity nestSmall · 56 g

ID tip

Hildebrandt's starling is 18 cm (7.1 in) in length and weighs 50 to 69 g (1.8–2.4 oz). The adult has bright iridescent plumage on its upper body and upper surfaces. As in its relatives, this iridescence is derived from the interference of reflected light from regimented microscopic feather structures and not from pigments. The head is blue as are most of the upperparts, the wings are bronze-green with blue primaries, the throat and upper breast are glossy purple, and the tail is glossy blue-green. The middle breast and upper belly are orange-buff and the lower belly is rufous.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Hildebrandt's Starling

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Hildebrandt's Starling

Regular range

The map shades 2 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Hildebrandt's Starling

Hildebrandt's starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It forms a superspecies with and has previously been included in the same species as Shelley's starling, a migratory species ranging from Ethiopia and Somalia to Kenya. Both of these species have also been combined into a superspecies with the chestnut-bellied starling of West Africa. It was originally placed in the now defunct genus Notauges. The species is named for Johann Maria Hildebrandt, a German collector who was the first European to obtain specimens.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Hildebrandt's Starling vs Purple Starling

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