Golden-breasted Starling

Lamprotornis regius

Northeast Africa's most dazzling bird. Tail as long as its body, chest like hammered gold, violet crown that shifts in light.

Population: Not numerically quantified by IUCN; described as fairly common to locally common with a stable population trend. One secondary source (SeaWorld fact sheet) cites a minimum estimate of ~10,000 mature individuals, but this figure could not be corroborated on the IUCN/BirdLife factsheet itself (blocked by 403/429 errors), so it should be treated as indicative rather than authoritative.
Habitat: Dry acacia savanna, thornbush/subtropical-tropical dry shrubland, and semi-arid grassland/woodland edge, from sea level up to about 1,810 m elevation
Fun fact: Golden-breasted starlings live in small cooperative family groups of 3-12 birds and nest in tree cavities (often old woodpecker holes), with related helpers assisting a monogamous pair to raise 3-5 chicks hatched from pale-green, red-speckled eggs.
Range: Northeastern/East Africa: Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and northern Tanzania; permanent resident with an estimated Extent of Occurrence of ~1,580,000 km²
Diet: Primarily insectivorous — catches flying insects and excavates termite mounds with rapid bill strikes, supplementing with snails, spiders, and occasionally small lizards (unlike many fruit-favoring starling relatives)
Size: 0.35 m
Lifespan: 13 years

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