Hildebrandt's Starling

If it weren't for the orange-red iris instead of white and the absence of a white pectoral band, the novice could confuse Hildebrandt's Starling with the more common Superb Starling and with which it can share the habitat. For a knowledgeable public, the range of colors that Hildebrandt's Starling has is less bright and the differences between each colored part of the body are less evident. No sexual dimorphism is present in this species. A wide black stripe that looks like a mask starts from the base of the beak and goes down to the parotic. The rest of the head: chin, throat, chest and crown are metallic blue with purple / violet reflections. In the back, the nape is a very dark green-bronze. The mantle is metallic blue resembling the color of the crown and the wings are green-bronze recalling the color of the nape. The tips of the primary remiges are iridescent blue as well as the rectrices. Each small and medium cover ends with a small rounded blue / navy to black spot that from afar appears only as a point. The chest, sides and belly are entirely orange. The legs and beak are black.