Rüppell's Glossy-Starling
Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Photographed along the Mtembur River, West Pokot, Kenya. July 2014.
The colors presented by the plumage of glossy starlings is produced by minute structural elements in the feathers that refract incident light. Thus, depending on the orientation of the observer relative to the sun, the colors will vary considerably. The most brilliant colors are produced when the sun is behind the observer.
Sturnidae -- Starling Family
Books Available for Sale on ABE Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe