Wattled Starling
Posted by smithfieldbirding on 20 August, 2011
Photo Lynden Lund
Even though it is considered abundant and widespread, of all the starlings, this one seems to create the most excitement and interest when seen in our area.
The Wattled Starling’s most unusual feature is of course, the facial wattles, which are only present when the bird is breeding. It is smallish – about the size of a Laughing Dove – and is ashy grey in colour, with a white rump and black wings and tail. The beak is pink and the black wattles show very clearly against the forehead and throat. Also conspicuous is the bright yellow colouring around the eyes, and also the hindcrown of the breeding male.
These birds are highly gregarious at all times and roost in trees in flocks of hundreds or even thousands. They often join with flocks of Pied Starlings. Their song is a merry mix-up of high-pitched squeaks; tsip-tsip, tseep, tseee, tseep-tseep. But when alarmed, the call is a harsh graaah, similar to a crow.
Wattled Starlings seldom stay in one place for long, usually following the food supply. Their most common habitats are the Karoo, open woodland, grassland, farmland, and occasionally gardens. They are omnivorous as their diet includes insects, offal, fruit, and the nectar of flowering trees and aloes. The Wattleld Starling is another excellent example of the synergistic interaction between birds and animals as they perch on the backs of sheep to catch insects disturbed by the grazers.
Since they appear and disappear so erratically, it is quite an event to spot any of these unique starlings in and around Smithfield.
