Lamprotornis chalybaeus
The Greater Blue-eared Starling is a common bird of savanna and woodland habitats. They are omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, seeds, nectar, fruit and berries. They form fairly large flocks, especially outside of the breeding season, and often associate with other kinds of glossy starlings. Adults reach a length of 24cm and weigh from 68-105g.
Greater Blue-eared Starlings breed in spring and summer in holes in trees or inside the stick nests of larger birds like storks and ibises, lined with grass and feathers. Pairs are monogamous, and clutches contain 2-5 eggs that are incubated by the female for 2 weeks. The chicks fledge at 3 weeks old.
The IUCN considers the Greater Blue-eared Starling of least concern. It occurs in a band along the Sahel from west Africa to Ethiopia, and then southwards to northern South Africa, where it can be found in parts of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces and is very common in the camps and picnic areas of the Kruger National Park.
DeWetsWild 
Hello. I don’t think I have seen one of these starlings before. We get glossy starlings and red-winged starlings in Durban. They have increased in number here over the years, together with the disappearance of the hoopoes, robins, crested barbets and golden orioles from Durban gardens. Don’t know whether those are related occurrrences.
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Some birds seem to have a much higher tolerance for humanity, and do well in urban settings, while others slowly retreat as human density increase.
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Beautiful ! 🙂
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Aren’t they!?
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Your photos of this starling are outstanding! It is a very handsome bird.
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Very kind and generous of you, thank you Hien
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Pragtig soos altyd
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Baie dankie, Tina!
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Pragtige kleure !
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Hy staan beslis uit!
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Wow, really beautiful bird who shine. Just the word shine is in the birds Swedish name. Well caught, you really see how it’s “shining” about the starling.
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We have several kinds of “glossy” starlings here in South Africa, John, and they can be quite tricky to tell apart in the field. This coming week we’ll be featuring Burchell’s starling, and we’ve already showcased the Cape Glossy Starling here: https://dewetswild.com/2017/07/13/cape-glossy-starling/
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The behaviors of the Greater Blue-eared Starling sound very much like the starlings found in our nearby picnic areas and parks. I love the iridescent quality of their feathers… also a characteristic of those near you and near me. Except I admire the color of yours. 😉
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They are an amazingly diverse and adaptive family, and they all seem to be quite confident in front of the camera!
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What a beautiful bird this is! This one is not captured by ‘pet owners’ the way that little yellow bird is?
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Thankfully not, Lois. They’re a too big for small cages, and quite quarrelsome with other species.
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Thankfully is right.
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Glorious colour!
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Quite iridescent in full sunlight!
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