Onychognathus fulgidus
The Chestnut-winged Starling, *Onychognathus fulgidus*, is a striking member of the Sturnidae family, renowned for its glossy black plumage contrasted by brilliant rufous-chestnut primaries and outer secondaries, conspicuously visible in flight. Averaging 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) in length, with a long, graduated tail, this starling possesses a slender black bill and reddish-orange eyes that gleam against its dark head. Its taxonomic placement within the *Onychognathus* genus links it to other...
Found primarily in moist evergreen forests, gallery forests, forest edges, and clearings, from lowland to mid-elevation mountainous regions up to 1800m. It also adapts to shaded plantations.
Primarily frugivorous, consuming a wide array of forest fruits like figs and oil palm, supplemented by insects such as beetles, ants, and termites, and occasionally nectar. Forages predominantly in the tree canopy.
Chestnut-winged Starlings are highly social birds, typically found in pairs, small family groups, or larger flocks, especially at fruiting trees or communal roosts. They are predominantly arboreal, actively foraging in the forest canopy for fruit and insects, though they may descend to lower leve...
The Chestnut-winged Starling is endemic to West and Central Africa, exhibiting a rather disjunct distribution across its range. The nominate subspecies, *O. f. fulgidus*, is found from Sierra Leone eastward through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Further east, *O. f. hartlaubii* extends from N...
Least Concern
- The Chestnut-winged Starling's genus name, *Onychognathus*, means 'claw-jaw' in Greek, referring to the slightly hooked tip of their bill. - Their stunning rufous-chestnut wing patches are almost completely concealed when perched, only flashing into view during flight. - Unlike many starling sp...