Lamprotornis purpureus
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The purple starling (Lamprotornis purpureus), also known as the purple glossy starling, is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal and north Zaire east to Sudan and west Kenya. This common passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation.
The adults of these stocky 22–23 cm long birds have a metallic purple head and body, and glossy green wings. They have a short tail and a yellow eye. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller, with grey underparts and a brown iris.
This is a gregarious and noisy bird, with typical starling squeaks and chattering. The purple starling builds a nest in a hole. The normal clutch is two eggs. Like most starlings, the purple starling is omnivorous, eating fruit and insects.
Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 3 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 4 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 9 | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 12 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 14 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 15 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 17 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 19 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 20 | Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 21 | Łódź Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 22 | Krakow Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 23 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 24 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 25 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 26 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 27 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 28 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 29 | Birdworld | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 30 | La Ferme aux crocodiles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 31 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 32 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 33 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 34 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 35 | Capron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Montecasino Bird Gardens | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 37 | Zoo Lagos | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 38 | Zoopark Nehvizdy | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 39 | Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 40 | Oceanium | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 41 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | The Green Planet | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Glossy-Starling sighting in Abuja on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 41st most-seen of the 131 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, October and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Glossy-Starling in Abuja on a given day, against about 10% in February and June–August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Glossy-Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Purple Glossy-Starling sightings, Abuja ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Accra (Ghana, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Glossy-Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Abuja (46 verified sightings), 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.
