This is the male Somali starling – all-black opposed to the female.
He’s observing me from the branches of the endemic dragon blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) that provides ample food during fruiting season, which is now coming to and end. The fruit is toxic to goats and I suppose many other species that have not evolved alongside this magnificent tree species. The Somali starling is not endemic to Socotra, but is not affected negatively by the fruit.
It’s very hard to distinguish the Somali starling and Socotra starling as both sexes of the Socotra starling are all black. But one feature is the tip of the tail feathers – opposed to these pointed tips, the Socotra starling has a flat tail-end.
It sounds like this:
Last updated on 30 January 2022
