Glossy Starlings are generally gregarious birds with a distinct sheen to their plumage, particularly when exposed to direct sunlight. There are seven species in Zimbabwe, which feed on fruit, invertebrates and seeds, making use of existing nesting hollows in the summer months.

During interviews some Karanga and Korekore people related their belief that night witches employ these birds as familiars and use them to light their way during the hours of darkness. A slight variation on this theme is the Ndebele belief that witches place the iridescent feathers in their pockets for the same reason.

Many people expressed a particular dislike for these birds due to their perceived association with witches, however some Manyika interviewees shared the opposite belief that it is in fact good luck to see one. They also informed me that the ‘nasal’ call of the Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus (pictured) forewarns a traveller of impending danger on the path ahead.

Local names for Glossy Starlings in Zimbabwe:

Hwidzikwidzi, Hwidzikuyozi, Svigonde – Shona (all dialects)
iKwezi – Ndebele
iMpiye – Nambya
Hudzululu – Kalanga
Liholi, Legodi – Venda/Sotho
Khwezu, Kholowane – Shangaan

Information for this section was obtained only from contributors.

For more information on the species mentioned here visit:

https://ebird.org/species/gbesta1/

http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/greater-blue-eared-starling-lamprotornis-chalybaeus