THE pied starling is found in the southern regions of South Africa, Lesotho, the KZN Drakensberg and the escarpment.
Its habitat is open grassland, farmyards, cultivated fields, rolling foothills, especially with dongas and eroded banks.
This bird is highly gregarious at all times, and is usually found in flocks of 10 to 20 birds. They roost communally in trees and reedbeds, foraging on the ground, often walking or running after their prey.
They follow ploughs for exposed insect larvae and often accompany cattle. The pied starling also feeds on ticks, centipedes, small lizards, seeds, fruit and aloe nectar. They have a squeaky ‘skweer skweer skweer’ call on take-off and a harsh, grating alarm note ‘chirrup chirrup’.
The breeding season is August to January.
They usually lay four to five bright blue-green eggs in a flattish nest built from grass, feathers, paper, snakeskin and leaves. As nestlings remain for 21 days, they are fed by both parents and there are up to seven immature or sub adults.
The pied starling’s Zulu name is iGwayigwayi and in Afrikaans it is known as witgatspreeu.
