The Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica) gets its name from its striking, highly reflective green-and-purple plumage that has a sheen when it catches the sunlight – hence it is also known as the Shining Starling. Native to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and northern Australia, they migrate to northern Australia for breeding in massive colonies consisting of thousands of birds. Here, they prepare globular woven nests that hang from the trees. This differs from other starlings which are cavity nest builders. Colonies sometimes contain more than 400 nests in a single tree.
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