Lesser Blue-eared Starling

Lamprotornis chloropterus

Other Names

Lamprotornis elisabeth =L. c. elisabeth   Lesser Blue-eared Glossy Starling   Choucador de Swainson   Messingglanzstar     Mindre blåkindad glansstare     Storno lucente guanceblu minore

World: Africa - there are 2 populations; one in the northern tropics between 5°N and 15°N from the West coast to Ethiopia and NW Kenya. The second population extends from Eastern Tanzania south through Mozambique, Zambia to Zimbabwe.

Kenya: Locally common in western Kenya above 1000m with a second coastal population occurring below 500m (this may be the northern most point of the Tanzania-Zimbabwe population).

Outside the breeding season this is a social species often found in noisy flocks. They seem to prefer ground feeding and their diet consists of fruit, seeds, nectar and insects (including beetles, termites, grasshoppers etc). They look very similar to the Greater Blue-eared Starling but are smaller overall and have a shorter tail.