How big is a Shelley's Starling?

The Shelley's Starling is a small sized bird weighing about 45 g.

Where can you see a Shelley's Starling?

The Shelley's Starling occurs in 5 countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia.

What birds look similar to a Shelley's Starling?

The Shelley's Starling is most easily confused with the White-crowned Starling, the Sharp-tailed Starling and the Principe Starling.

Is the Shelley's Starling endangered?

The Shelley's Starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Shelley's Starling

Lamprotornis shelleyi

Rhabdornis, Starlings, and Mynas · Passeriformes · Rare

The Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi) is a rare rhabdornis, starlings, and myna found in 5 countries, weighing about 45 g. Shelley's starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae.

Least ConcernRareEats invertebratesshrublandcavity nest45 g

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 1 — Photo: Thomas Galewski · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 2 — Photo: Brian Henderson · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 3 — Photo: Brian Henderson · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 4 — Photo: Brian Henderson · CC BY 4.0

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 5 — Photo: Brian Henderson · CC BY 4.0

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 6 — Photo: Henrik Grønvold · Public domain

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 7 — Photo: (c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 8 — Photo: (c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 9 — Photo: (c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Thomas Galewski, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

About the Shelley's Starling

Shelley's starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in East Africa, within the borders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

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

Where it lives

Ethiopia Kenya Tanzania Somalia

Recorded as a rare visitor in South Sudan.

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

What does a Shelley's Starling look like?: Shelley's starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae.
How big is a Shelley's Starling?: The Shelley's Starling is a small sized bird weighing about 45 g.
Where can you see a Shelley's Starling?: The Shelley's Starling occurs in 5 countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia.
What birds look similar to a Shelley's Starling?: The Shelley's Starling is most easily confused with the White-crowned Starling, the Sharp-tailed Starling and the Principe Starling.
Is the Shelley's Starling endangered?: The Shelley's Starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Shelley's 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.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.