Red-winged Starling

Onychognathus morio

Least ConcernCommonOmnivoreRockyCup nestMedium · 133 g

About the Red-winged Starling

The red-winged starling is a bird of the starling family Sturnidae native to eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. An omnivorous, generalist species, it prefers cliffs and mountainous areas for nesting, and has moved into cities and towns due to similarity to its original habitat.

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

ID tip

The male of this 27–30-centimetre (11–12 in) long starling has mainly iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes. The Ethiopian subspecies O. m. rupellii is longer-tailed than the nominate form and intergrades with it. This species has a number of whistled calls, but the most familiar is the contact call, cher-leeeoo.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Red-winged Starling sounds like

Recording: Anne Ndung'u · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Singapore.

When to see it

Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Red-winged Starling for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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