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Greater Blue-eared Starling


Greater Blue-eared Starling
Photo Information
Copyright: Peter van Zoest (PeterZ) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2386 W: 94 N: 5517] (17564)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-08-07
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon D300, AF Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6 G, Digital RAW
Exposure: f/9.0, 1/320 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-04-17 11:13
Viewed: 948
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling, or Greater Blue-eared Starling, Lamprotornis chalybaeus, is a bird that breeds from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and south through eastern Africa to northeastern South Africa and Angola. It is a very common species of open woodland which undertakes some seasonal movements.

Description
The Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling is a 22 cm long, short tailed bird. This starling is glossy blue-green with a purple-blue belly and blue ear patch. Its iris is bright yellow or orange. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is duller and has blackish brown underparts.

The populations from southern Kenya southwards are smaller than northern birds and are sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies, L. c. sycobius.

The Lesser Blue-eared Glossy Starling is very similar to this species, but the blue of the belly does not extend forward of the legs in that bird.

The Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling has a range of musical or grating calls, but the most familiar is a nasal squee-ar.

BEHAVIOUR
Breeding
The Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling nests in holes in trees, either natural or excavated by woodpeckers or barbets. It will also nest inside the large stick nests of the Sacred Ibis or Abdim's Stork. The three to five eggs are greenish-blue with some brown or purple spots, and hatch in 13-14 days. The chicks leave the nest in another 23 days.

This species is parasitised by the Great Spotted Cuckoo and occasionally the Greater Honeyguide.

Roosting
The Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling is highly gregarious and will form large flocks, often with other starlings. Its roosts, in reedbed, thorn bushes, or acacia, may also be shared.

Feeding
Like other starlings, the Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling is an omnivore, taking a wide range of invertebrates seeds and berries, especially figs, but is diet is mainly insects taken from the ground.
It will perch on livestock, feeding on insects disturbed by the animals and occasionally removing ectoparasites.

Source: Wikipedia
nglen, zetu, siggi, billynewboy, jaycee, zulfu, bahadir, cypturk, boreocypriensis, xTauruSx, lsprasath, Noisette, KOMSIS, Alex99, roges, Gert-Paassen, anel, pilonm, goldyrs has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2908 W: 34 N: 8623] (32138)
  • [2009-04-17 11:17]

Hi Peter. This is a very brightly coloured bird. With the large yellow eye. You have taken it with a good low POV /DOF. good detail in the bright blue feathers . Well done TFS . with interesting notes.

Nick.

Have a good weekend.

  • Great 
  • zetu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 645 W: 15 N: 1580] (6173)
  • [2009-04-17 11:23]

Hello Peter
Nice shot. Interesting colors and sharp details.
Regards
Razvan

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4716] (16222)
  • [2009-04-17 11:30]

Hello Peter,
Wonderful shot of the striking Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling.
Superb pose and POV with nice sharp details and fabulous colours.

Best regards Siggi

Hello Peter
This is a new bird to me and you have captured in a textbook scene with sharp details on the subject and good space all around as he is about to dive into a dinner plate that may hold his lunch!!
Great Work and Tfs
All the Best
Billy

Ciao Peter, lovely bird with fantastic metallic color, wonderful eye, great details and excellent sharpness, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2009-04-17 12:54]

Hi Peter,

I have not seen this beautiful bird before. I love his pose - he must be seeing something on that rock that interests him. The shades of blue and that yellow eye are wonderful. Fine details of the entire bird. A lovely setting and composition.

Jane

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1055 W: 0 N: 162] (866)
  • [2009-04-17 13:03]

Hello peter, an another beautiful bird shot from you. Details, compositions and colours are great.
TFS and G's,
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2009-04-17 13:07]

Hi Peter,you are back in Ethiopia ans it's a good thing,this blue bird need to show! It's a great beauty of nature,and the pic is really perfect in sharpness and colors.My best compliments,have a nice weekend,Luciano

Hello Peter, wonderful shot of this beautiful starling species.
TFS and regards,
Bahadır

Hi Peter, wonderful catch of this Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling. Excellent in all aspects.
Wonderful composition with nice details.
thank you for sharing.
Merih

  • Great 
  • demeve Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 603 W: 11 N: 1627] (5989)
  • [2009-04-17 15:50]

Hello Peter,
Beautiful bird, very colorful. Very funny POV, I like the expression.. Great colors.. Well done

Everton

Hi and Good Morning MF Peter,
An excellent capture of of this beautifully coloured starling from lateral POV with wonderful details in a fine composition.
TFS and have a nice WE!
Cheers,
Bayram

Hello Peter, a beautiful image of this colourful starling with wonderful composition and colours.
Regards,
Deniz

Hello Peter, nice sharp focus on the bird's eye. Nice blue bird with yellow eyes. Good lighting.

Hello Peter
beautiful shotof this starling, i like his blue plumage and his yellow eyes
great colors of th environment too
the bird is very sharp and have a great pose
very well done
Jacqueline

  • Great 
  • Chiza Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 34 W: 0 N: 197] (964)
  • [2009-04-18 7:03]

Hola Peter: Una foto hermosa de un ave muy exótica que no conocía. Gran nitidez y encuadre, muestran en todo su esplendor a esta increíble ave...saludos.

Hello Peter,
Color of eyes and a fantastic ...
Great details and excellent sharpness.
Greetins,
Seyfi.

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3584 W: 143 N: 5669] (18531)
  • [2009-04-18 10:37]

Hi Peter.
I have never met this fine bird. You have reproduced it with great exactness. Eyes, feathers, pose are wonderful as well as the pictured scene at whole. Bird with its curious glance is looked very attractively and green carpet creates a fine scenery. Well done and TFS.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 597 W: 0 N: 515] (3068)
  • [2009-04-18 11:57]

Hi Peter !
Een grote vangst.
Ik hou echt van het contrast van de kleuren.
Een goede nacht,
Adrian

Hallo Peter,

Mooie laag gezichtsveld op deze prachtige glansspeeuw.
Mooie natuurlijke kleuren.

Gert

Hi Peter,
A nice capture of this beautiful starling bird. Sharp details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2573] (9077)
  • [2009-04-19 1:52]

Hi Peter,
this is a superbs colour shot of this excellent bird. I like the shiny and glowint feathers and eyes.
Well presented with brilliant clarity and sharpness.
Well composed with the natural surrounding seen.

regards,
Foozi

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1723 W: 0 N: 3903] (15686)
  • [2009-04-22 4:55]

Hello Peter,
What a funny picture! Beautiful bird asking itself what it will be doing with this amount of...
Very well seen , generous framing which is nice here
Best regards
Anne

Hello Peter,

Wow! Look at this splendid iridescent colors!!! You managed perfectly the exposition in order to let us see all the different tones of green and blue.

TFS this wonderlful wildlife that I was even not aware!!!

Cheers!

Michel

WHat a lovely shot, Peter!The setting of the green grass actually brings out the blue colour of this Starling so very beautifully!
Very well done!
Goldy

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