Metallic Starlings
While we were in Cape York on our way down we stopped on a beach named Chilli Beach and discovered the beautiful Metallic Starling.
The Metallic Starlings can also be known as the Shinning Starling and they are native to New Guniea, North Queensland and the Solomon Islands
Description:
Metallic starlings are medium-sized birds with a long, graduated tail. Males and females look alike: all-black, with red eyes and a short bill.
They appear to be “metallic” because of the purple and green sheen that reflects when the sunlight hits them at just the right angle.
In contrast to adults, juveniles are brown with a white patch on their chest and gray coloration on the throat. As they mature, they develop red eyes and black plumage. The final juvenile trait loses its white patch on the chest.
Behaviour:
They spend their days in large flocks that number in the thousands. They spend their time in the trees, consuming fruit, nectar, and insects. They roost in trees close to one another. When the sun starts to set they gather and create a swirling display in the sky before settling in and chattering with one another.
They are not fearful however when one feels in danger they make loud noise (scream) and then they will all regroup and fly out in a tight formation and then return to their nests. Their movement is very fast making them look like a large bird therefore scaring and making their prey retreat.
Here is a video of them flying and in flocks near Chilli Beach.
Family Life:
During the breeding period, females can have multiple clutches, laying one to three eggs per clutch. Females have five to seven offspring on average during the breeding season. In 21 to 25 days, juveniles leave the nest. While they leave the nest, they return to their parents for a while to be fed. The young juveniles are mature at the age of 1 years old.
Habitat and Diet:
These songbirds are adaptable to many habitats, including woodland, coastal wetlands, and rainforest.
Migration:
These birds migrate to northern Australia for breeding in massive colonies consisting of thousands of birds. Here, they prepare globular woven nests that hang from the trees. This differs from other starlings that are cavity nest builders. Metallic starlings utilize grasses, bark, and feathers for building these intricate nests. Breeding season is from August through early spring in the birds' native habitat.
In early spring, the birds migrate back to Papua New Guinea and surrounding islands.
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