Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Mombasa on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 141st most-seen of the 146 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Blue-eared Starling in Mombasa on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and November–January, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Greater Blue-eared Starling sightings, Mombasa ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Maiduguri (Nigeria, about 90%), Harare (Zimbabwe, about 20%) and Accra (Ghana, about 10%).
Same family: Sturnidae
The closest relatives of the Greater Blue-eared Starling that you can see in Mombasa (family Sturnidae, Starlings) are Violet-backed Starling (about 10%) and Black-bellied 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 Mombasa (5 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.
