CreatureData

Cape starling

Lamprotornis nitens (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 80.1 g to 88.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens)
Photo: Stuart Bassil from Norwich, England · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape starling

Weight
80.1 g – 88.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4 – 2.6src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape starling live?

Not recorded

What is the cape starling?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens), also known as red-shouldered glossy-starling or Cape glossy starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Southern Africa, where it lives in woodlands, bushveld and in suburbs.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_starling&oldid=1379729544), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape starling endangered?

The cape starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the cape starling classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySturnidae
  6. genusLamprotornis
  7. SpeciesLamprotornis nitens (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Lamprotornis nitens culminator, Lamprotornis nitens nitens, Lamprotornis nitens phoenicopterus, Turdus nitens

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • Cape glossy starlingEnglish
  • Cape glossy-starlingEnglish
  • CASTEnglish
  • Glossy starlingEnglish
  • Red-shouldered glossy-starlingEnglish
  • BlinkspreeuAfrikaans
  • GroenspreeuAfrikaans
  • KleinglanspreeuAfrikaans
  • KleinglansspreeuAfrikaans
  • estornell del CapCatalan
  • leskoptev savanováCzech
  • drudwen loyw y PenrhynWelsh
  • Rødskuldret GlansstærDanish
  • RotschulterglanzstarGerman
  • Rotschulter-GlanzstarGerman
  • kaba sturnoEsperanto
  • Estornino de El CaboSpanish
  • turkoosikottarainenFinnish
  • Choucador à épaulettes rougesFrench
  • Merle métallique à épaulettes rougesFrench
  • plavozeleni čvorakCroatian
  • vörösvállú fényseregélyHungarian
  • Storno splendente del CapoItalian
  • アカガタテリムクJapanese
  • Wodzululukck
  • raudonpetis blizgusis varnėnasLithuanian
  • RoodschouderglansspreeuwDutch
  • grønnglansstærNorwegian
  • błyszczak lśniącyPolish
  • estorninho-do-caboPortuguese
  • estorninho-metálicoPortuguese
  • Капский спреоRussian
  • Красноплечий блестящий скворецRussian
  • liskavec akáciovýSlovak
  • Kapski čvorakSerbian
  • grönglansstareSwedish
  • Kap SığırcığıTurkish
  • leGodiTswana
  • LegodiloTswana
  • мерл капськийUkrainian
  • 南非輝椋鳥Chinese
  • 红肩辉椋鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape starling

Other species in the same genus Lamprotornis.

CompareCape starling vs Hildebrandt's starlingCape starling vs Superb starlingCape starling vs Long-tailed glossy starlingCape starling vs Emerald starling

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape starling?

An adult cape starling weighs 80.1 g – 88.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape starling endangered?

The cape starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cape starling?

The cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens) belongs to the family Sturnidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-starling

MLA

“Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-starling.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_starling_2026,
  title = {Cape starling (Lamprotornis nitens)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-starling},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}