Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Meves’s Starling
Lamprotornis mevesii
Meves's Starling (Lamprotornis mevesii) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Meves’s Starling (Lamprotornis mevesii) is a member of the Sturnidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 64.2 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 mevesii
Quick facts
- Weight
- 64.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Meves’s Starling is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Meves’s Starling is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Meves’s Starling (Lamprotornis mevesii) is a member of the Sturnidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF s.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 64.2 g, with a wing length of about 14 cm and a tail of around 18.7 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 640,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Meves’s Starling?
The Meves’s Starling is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 64.2 g.
Where does the Meves’s Starling live?
The Meves’s Starling is found across Africa with a range covering AF s, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Meves’s Starling belong to?
The Meves’s Starling (Lamprotornis mevesii) belongs to the Sturnidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Meves’s Starling eat?
The Meves’s Starling is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Meves’s Starling migrate?
The Meves’s Starling is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Meves’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 Meves’s Starling make?
1 real field recording of the Meves’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 Meves’s Starling's range?
The Meves’s Starling has a mapped global range of about 640,000 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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