Superb Starling

When you see a Superb Starling, the first thought that comes to mind, as its name suggests, is it is gorgeous! Indeed, it has superb colors that are identical in the male and female. Sexual dimorphism is nonexistent, although in captivity it has been observed that the male can have a white breast band wider than the female's. The adult has a black cap covering the crown, the parotids, the cheeks and the throat, on which the white eye stands out strongly. Beyond, the change of color is sharp and spectacular. The nape, mantle and upper chest are of a deep blue fading to turquoise at the back. The wings are of an iridescent green with black spots on the coverts. The rectrices are of a blue reminiscent of the back's feathers color. Light playing can bring out different shades such as pink at the tip of the primary remiges or on the rectrices. The base of the chest, the belly and the flanks are bright orange. A white breast band separates the blue and orange of the chest. The undertail and underwing coverts are white. The legs and beak are black. The white iris, a characteristic shared with other members of the group, and the white breast band distinguish it from its cousins, the Hildebrandt and Shelley Starlings, which have a red iris and which it can come across. Juveniles resemble adults, but their plumage is duller, devoid of shininess. In addition, the iris is dark, the base of the beak is pale and the legs are brown. The first moult, the post-juvenile moult, occurs at 4 months. The iris remains dark until the next full moult of the bird, at around 1 year.