Lamprotornis australis
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Burchell's starling (Lamprotornis australis) or Burchell's glossy-starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. The monogamous and presumably sedentary species is native to dry and mesic woodlands and savannah of southern Africa. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell.
This species is found in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is absent from miombo woodland, but is present in westerly gusu woodlands. In the Kalahari they associate with camelthorn trees and also feed on their flowers. Their food includes flowers, fruit and small animals. They breed during the summer months.
The species is not threatened and is locally common in conservation areas. Burchell's (glossy-) starling - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 6 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Glossy-starling sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 321 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 373 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Glossy-starling in Chobe National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–February, April–June and November, the lowest months. Those are among Chobe National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against almost none in May.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Burchell's Glossy-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.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Burchell's Glossy-starling sightings, Chobe National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 70%), Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 40%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Lamprotornis
The closest relatives of the Burchell's Glossy-starling that you can see in Chobe National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Greater Blue-eared Starling (about 20%), Red-shouldered Glossy-starling (about 20%) and Meves's Glossy-starling (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Burchell's Glossy-starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Chobe National Park (321 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.
