I’ll admit it: I grew up thinking starlings were just "ugly and mean." In North America, the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is often viewed as a pesky, invasive species—aggressive at feeders and plain in color. But as it turns out, I just had the wrong version of the story.
Enter the Superb Starling(Lamprotornis superbus).
Found across the savannas of East Africa, these birds are absolute showstoppers. While they still have that classic starling “attitude”—fussing and bickering over territory just like their cousins—their plumage is on an entirely different level. We’re talking iridescent blues and greens, a bright orange belly, and a distinctive white breast band that looks like it was painted on.