Meves's starling

Meves's starling
L. m. mevesii in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidae
Genus: Lamprotornis
Species:
L. mevesii
Binomial name
Lamprotornis mevesii
(Wahlberg, 1856)
      native range

Meves's starling (Lamprotornis mevesii), also Meves's glossy starling and Long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the genus Lamprotornis. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Its English and Latin names commemorate the German ornithologist Friedrich Wilhelm Meves.[2]

It is 30–36 cm long, with a very long tail; in dull light coloured black, but in bright light, with moderate to intensely strong iridescent gloss. It can be distinguished from the similar Burchell's starling by its longer tail with strongly graduated feathers (the central pair of tail feathers the longest, with subsequent pairs of feathers shorter to the outermost), and from other long-tailed species of Lamprotornis by its dark eyes.[3][4]

Three subspecies are accepted:[5][6]

  • Lamprotornis mevesii benguelensis Shelley, 1906 — southwestern Angola (Angola Escarpment). Duller and browner, less glossy on the body and tail than the other subspecies.
  • Lamprotornis mevesii violacior Clancey, 1973 — northern Namibia and south-central Angola. Dark, violet-purple glossed.
  • Lamprotornis mevesii mevesii (Wahlberg, 1856) — southeasternmost Angola, northeastern Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, east to southeastern Zambia, southern Malawi, and northeastern South Africa. Intensely green-and-blue glossed, with some bronze gloss on the flanks.

Some authorities have treated the three as separate species,[3] but this is not widely followed.[5][6]

It is typically found in small flocks in mopane woodland, usually along major river basins, and often in areas which are flooded in the rainy season.[4][7] The breeding season lasts from September to May, with peak nesting activity in February to March.[7]

  • Adult L. m. mevesii in Kruger National Park
  • Adult L. m. mevesii showing coppery iridescence on flank plumage
  • Adult L. m. violacior at Hobatere, Namibia

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Lamprotornis mevesii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T103871956A94258807. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103871956A94258807.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. p. 233.
  3. ^ a b Hoyo, Josep del (2020). All the Birds of the World. Barcelona: Lynx edicions. p. 675. ISBN 978-84-16728-37-4.
  4. ^ a b Newman, Kenneth (1998-12-01). Newman's Birds of Southern Africa. Halfway House: Southern Book Pub of South Africa. pp. 384–385. ISBN 1-86812-757-5.
  5. ^ a b "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, spotted creepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers – IOC World Bird List". IOC World Bird List – Version 14.2. 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  6. ^ a b AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  7. ^ a b Craig, A.J.F.K.; Herremans, M. "Atlas of Southern African Birds: Long-tailed Starling" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-01-25.
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