Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris
The plumage is iridescent black, glossed purple or green, and spangled with white, especially in winter. The underparts of adult male common starlings are less spotted than those of adult females at a given time of year. The throat feathers of males are long and loose and are used in display while those of females are smaller and more pointed. The legs are stout and pinkish- or greyish-red. The bill is narrow and conical with a sharp tip; in the winter it is brownish-black but in summer, females have lemon yellow beaks while males have yellow bills with blue-grey bases.
It mainly occurs in the southern half of South Africa, and is by far the most common in urban and agricultural areas.
It mainly eats arthropods supplemented with fruit, seeds and nectar, doing most of its foraging on the ground, plucking food items up or probing the soil for underground prey.
