Size: Length; 27cm. Weight; 140g.

Habitat and distribution: Senegambia to Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. Open parkland and cultivated areas.

Groups and breeding: Nest in tree holes, lay around 3 eggs that are incubated by the female. The male helps to feed the chicks once hatched.

Live in flocks which range from 12 to over a hundred individuals. Have been seen in colonies of thousands of birds at favoured roost sites.

Diet: Fruit, berries, seeds and insects.

• They have glossy blue or green upper parts, which is due to hollow melanin granules arranged in a single layer near the feather’s surface.
• Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae.
• Starlings have diverse and complex vocalisations, and have been known to copy sounds from their surroundings into their own calls.
• The birds can recognise particular individuals by their calls, and are currently the subject of research into the evolution of human language.