Photo: Lip Kee / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Shelley’s Starling
Lamprotornis shelleyi
Shelley's Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Shelley’s Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi) is a member of the Sturnidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 45 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Sturnidae Starlings, Rhabdornises
- Genus Lamprotornis
- Species shelleyi
Quick facts
- Weight
- 45 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Shelley’s Starling is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Shelley’s Starling is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Shelley’s Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi) belongs to the Sturnidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Africa. Its distribution covers AF Ethiopia and Somalia to n Kenya and se South Sudan.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 45 g, with a wing length of about 11.2 cm and a tail of around 7.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 658,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Shelley’s Starling?
The Shelley’s Starling is a small bird that weighs around 45 g.
Where does the Shelley’s Starling live?
The Shelley’s Starling is found across Africa with a range covering AF Ethiopia and Somalia to n Kenya and se South Sudan, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Shelley’s Starling belong to?
The Shelley’s Starling (Lamprotornis shelleyi) belongs to the Sturnidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Shelley’s Starling eat?
The Shelley’s Starling is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Shelley’s Starling migrate?
The Shelley’s Starling is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Shelley’s Starling endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Shelley’s Starling make?
1 real field recording of the Shelley’s Starling — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Shelley’s Starling's range?
The Shelley’s Starling has a mapped global range of about 658,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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