Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The greater blue-eared starling or greater blue-eared glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus) is a bird that breeds from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south through eastern Africa to northeastern South Africa and Angola. It is a very common species of open woodland bird, and undertakes some seasonal migration.
There are four accepted subspecies: Lamprotornis chalybaeus chalybaeus — Sahel region Lamprotornis chalybaeus cyaniventris — northeastern Africa Lamprotornis chalybaeus nordmanni — southern Africa Lamprotornis chalybaeus scyobius — central and East Africa
The greater blue-eared starling is a 22 cm long, short tailed bird. This starling is glossy blue-green with a purple-blue belly and blue ear patch. Its iris is bright yellow or orange. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is duller and has blackish brown underparts.
The populations from southern Kenya southwards are smaller than northern birds and are sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies, L. c. sycobius. The lesser blue-eared starling is similar to this species, but the blue of the belly does not extend forward of the legs.
The greater blue-eared starling has a range of musical... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maiduguri | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 4 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 5 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 6 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 7 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 10 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Zoorasia | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Sapporo Maruyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 8 | Attica Zoological Park | 🇬🇷 Greece | |
| 9 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 11 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 13 | Tiergarten Straubing | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 14 | Monkeyland | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | Tierpark Walldorf | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 18 | herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 19 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 20 | hipopotamiarnia i akwarium morskie warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Blue-eared Starling sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 285th most-seen of the 362 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Blue-eared Starling in Amboseli National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Amboseli National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 10 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater Blue-eared Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
33rd of 36
Of the 36 parks where we can rate Greater Blue-eared Starling sightings, Amboseli National Park ranks 33rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 60%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 60%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Lamprotornis
The closest relatives of the Greater Blue-eared Starling that you can see in Amboseli National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Superb Starling (about 70%), Hildebrandt's Starling (about 10%) and Fischer's Starling (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater Blue-eared Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboseli National Park (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
