Onychognathus morio
The Red-winged Starling (Onychognathus morio) is a striking, medium-sized passerine, instantly recognizable by its glossy black plumage contrasted with vibrant rufous-chestnut primary wing feathers, prominently displayed in flight. Males typically measure 27-30 cm in length and weigh around 100-150g, featuring an iridescent sheen of blue-green or purple, particularly on the head and back. Females are subtly sexually dimorphic, often showing a duller, greyer head and chest with a slightly shor...
This highly adaptable starling primarily inhabits rocky mountainous areas, cliffs, gorges, and savannah woodlands, but has readily colonized urban environments, utilizing buildings and bridges as artificial cliffs. It occurs from sea level up to altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters.
Their diet is broadly omnivorous, consisting primarily of fruits (especially figs, berries), nectar, and a wide array of insects (beetles, grasshoppers, termites). They are also opportunistic scavengers, feeding on human refuse and carrion.
Red-winged Starlings are diurnal and highly social, often forming large, noisy flocks outside the breeding season, which gather at communal roosts on cliffs or large trees. Foraging is opportunistic; they glean insects from foliage and ground, hawk flying insects, and readily consume fruits and n...
The Red-winged Starling boasts a wide and stable distribution across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Its breeding range extends from eastern Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, south through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Angola, reaching its southern ...
Least Concern
- The Red-winged Starling is renowned for its intelligence and adaptability, thriving in both wild mountainous regions and bustling urban centers. - Its distinctive rufous-chestnut wing panels are most striking in flight, acting as a clear identification mark, especially against its glossy black ...