Nov. 13, 2022 - Australia - Metallic Starlings

Ben, our Australia Bird Photography tour leader, took us to the city of Mossman in Queensland to see this interesting bird species, the Metallic Starlings.

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These birds have a blood-red eye and iridescent blue/green/black feathers. Also note the shaggy fringe of feathers around the neck. Those feathers make me think of our Common Raven.

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Here’s a photo with the cloudy sky in the background. It really brings out the amazingly beautiful plumage of the Metallic Starlings.

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Metallic Starlings are colonial nesters. Ben took us to a particular tree right on the city streets of Mossman. The Starlings decided this was a good tree for them and there were hundreds of nests in this tree. Here’s just one branch with multiple nests on it.

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Nesting season was just starting for the Starlings, so pairs of them were busy constructing their basketball-sized nests.

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Here’s a pair of Starlings with a partially completed nest.

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This looks like a finished nest. Note the entrance hole located on the side of the nest.

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I even managed to get a photo of one of the Starlings holding a piece of fruit. These birds are native to Australia, so they are not considered invasive like the European Starling is here in the United States

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