Often seen in large flocks, following fruiting trees, Metallic Starlings are a glossy black with a coloured purple-green "sheen" to the coat which gives them there common name.

Metallic starling - Aplonis metallica feeding on Alexandra palm fruit - Photo by Alex Pawlow

Not a shy bird, they are one of the easier species to spot and adults with the red eye and dark, glossy plumage are hard to misidentify.

They truly look metallic in the right light. They are at home in the rainforest, building large rounded nests, high in the canopy to avoid predators.

Their range extends from the tip of Queensland down to Gladstone where they feed on fruits from the rainforest, and insects.