The ashy starling (''Lamprotornis unicolor'') is a species of

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

in the family Sturnidae. It is found in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. It is alternatively placed in the genus '' Cosmopsarus'' or ''

Spreo ''Lamprotornis'' is a large genus of glossy starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. They have glossy blue or green upper parts, which is due to hollow melanin granules arranged in a single layer near the feather barbule's sur ...

''.

References

*BirdLife International 2004.
Cosmopsarus unicolor2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 24 July 2007. ashy starling ashy starling Birds of East Africa ashy starling ashy starling Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Sturnidae-stub