Metallic Starling

1. Adults have glossy, metallic green-black plumage and bright red eyes

2. Long, forked tail and sleek body shape

3. Juveniles are brown with streaked underparts and dark eyes

Metallic Starlings are primarily frugivorous, feeding on a variety of rainforest fruits and playing an important role in seed dispersal. They also eat insects and nectar, especially during the breeding season. These birds are colonial nesters, with up to several hundred pairs building messy, globular nests suspended from the branches of a single tall tree. The breeding season in Australia runs from September to March, with both parents sharing incubation and chick-rearing duties. Females lay 2 to 4 eggs per clutch, and both parents incubate the eggs for about 14 days before feeding the chicks until they fledge.

Metallic Starlings are found in northeastern Queensland’s tropical rainforests, woodlands, mangroves, and sometimes gardens. They are most common from Cape York to Mackay, with the majority arriving from New Guinea for the breeding season, typically from August or September to April. Look for their large, noisy flocks in the canopy of fruiting trees, especially native figs and palms, and at their conspicuous colonial nesting sites in tall, often isolated trees`.`