Here in North America, we're mostly accustomed to disliking starlings. We come by it honestly, since they are an invasive species brought here by colonialists trying to make the "New World" more like the one they'd left across the pond.
But while the European starling is mostly a drab nuisance to us, even we can appreciate the beauty of some of the less familiar starling species found around the world.
It's also commonly called the purple glossy starling for obvious reasons. It seems silly to leave out how amazingly shiny it is.
That had to be a doctored photo, right? No bird is so shiny that their body could be coated in liquid metal.
A skim through various birding websites proved it, though. This bird is real.
The wings are a bright, emerald green that shines blue in the right light.
Thankfully, these guys are very common in the wild and aren't in danger of extinction.
Here's a video showing one of these beauties from a bunch of angles. Incredible!
They're often found in open woodlands, savannas, and even cultivated land, where they nest in tree holes.
h/t: Birds of the World
