Emerald Starling (Lamprotornis iris)

The emerald starling is also known as the iris glossy starling. It is a small starling with a metallic green crown, upper body, wings and tail. The ear-coverts and underparts are metallic purple. Both sexes are similar. Most taxonomists unite it with many other glossy-starlings in ''Lamprotornis'', while others place it in a monotypic genus ''Coccycolius''.

One of the smallest species among starlings, the emerald starling is distributed in West Africa. It inhabits lowlands and savanna.. more