African Openbill vs Common Starling

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Sturnus vulgaris

Key Differences

• African Openbill is Least Concern while Common Starling is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Common Starling
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Ciconiidae	Sturnidae
Genus	Anastomus	Sturnus
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Sturnus vulgaris

Evolutionary Relationship

African Openbill and Common Starling share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Common Starling

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Openbill	Common Starling
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Common Starling

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Europe (5 countries), North America (6 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga), and South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

African Openbill

The African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species in the genus Anastomus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Common Starling

Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway