Metallic starling

Aplonis metallica

The metallic starling, also known as the shining starling, is a bird in the starling family native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, Queensland and the Solomon Islands.
Aplonis metallica metallica or Metallic Starling Long-tailed, dark songbird. Adults glossy blackish with strong metallic green-blue sheen above in good light, bright red eye. Immatures dark above, pale with short, dark streaks below. Nest in large colonies, typically seen in very large flocks that fly fast and low.  Inhabits forests, parks, gardens.

Native to Moluccas, Sula Is. and Aru Is. to New Guinea and NE Queensland. Aplonis metallica,Geotagged,Metallic starling,Spring,United States

Appearance

The adult has brilliant red eyes, a long forked tail and green-glossed black plumage. Immatures are pale below with dark streaks.

Behavior

They are very social and flocks of them build messy suspended globular nests in tall rain forest trees where they breed, possibly only during the wet season. They are not fearful of humans and their activity on the ground below, being well separated from them by altitude, but a loud noise will see them fly out in a tight formation, circle, then return to their nests. Their movement is very fast. During the early part of the 20th century, a flock were seen to migrate during August to Dunk Island in far north Queensland, where they mate, preparing messy globular nests for their young which hang from tall trees. There they remain until April, whereupon they make their return journey to New Guinea. They are also seen in other areas of Queensland including Kuranda in the Atherton Tablelands, and Mossman Gorge.

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilySturnidae
GenusAplonis
SpeciesA. metallica