Diet is mainly fruit (such as wild figs and berries), flowers and buds, leaves, termites and snails. Its habitat is dry open savanna woodlands, farms, parks, and suburban gardens, often near water.

This is a common and widespread species, and is not considered to be threatened. It breeds on freshwater wetlands or quiet coasts. Two to four eggs are laid in a nest in a tree or on the ground.

This is a small cormorant at 50–55 cm length and an 85 cm wingspan. It is mainly black, glossed green, in the breeding season. The wing coverts are silvery. It has a longish tail, a short head crest and a red or yellow face patch. The bill is yellow.

Sexes are similar, but non-breeding adults and juveniles are browner, with a white belly. Some southern races retain the crest all year round.

The Reed Cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but usually feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to the surface. It takes a wide variety of fish. It prefers small slow-moving fishes, and those with long and tapering shapes, such asmormyrids, catfishes, and cichlids. It will less frequently eat soles (which can be important in its diet locally), frogs, aquatic invertebrates, and small birds.

This weaver is very widespread and found in a wide range of habitats, including shrubland, savanna, grassland, open woodland, inland wetlands and semi-desert areas. It also occurs in suburban gardens and parks

The Red-winged Starling builds a lined nest of grass and twigs, and with a mud base, on a natural or structural ledge. It lays 2–4, usually three, blue eggs, spotted with red-brown. The female incubates the eggs for 13–14 days, with another 22–28 days to hatching. This starling is commonly double-brooded. It may be parasitised by the Great Spotted Cuckoo.

The Red-winged Starling is territorial, aggressive and intolerant when nesting, and will attack other species, including domestic animals and humans.

The male of this 27-30 cm long starling has mainly iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers , which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes. The Ethiopian subspecies O. m. rupellii is longer-tailed than the nominate form and intergrades with it.

This species has a number of whistled calls, but the most familiar is the contact call, cher-leeeoo.

Like other starlings, the Red-winged Starling is an omnivore, taking a wide range of seeds, berries, nectar and invertebrates. Like its relative, the oxpecker, it will perch on cattle and antelope, searching for ectoparasites such as ticks. It will also scavenge on carrion and human food discards. It is highly gregarious and will form large flocks when not breeding.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.