Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Lamprotornis caudatus

Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at N'Djamena

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

15 Verified sightings at N'Djamena
526 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Long-tailed Glossy Starling

The long-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan. This common passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The long-tailed glossy starling builds a nest in a hole. The normal clutch is two to four eggs.

This ubiquitous bird is gregarious and noisy, with a harsh grating call. The adults of these 54 cm (21 in) long birds have metallic green upperparts, violet underparts and a 34 cm (13 in) long purple tail. The face is black with a yellow eye. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller, with a brownish tone to the plumage.

Like most starlings, the long-tailed glossy starling is an omnivore, eating fruit and insects. Barlow, Clive; Wacher, Tim (1997). Birds of The Gambia and Senegal. Illustrated by Tony Disley. Pica. ISBN 978-1-873403-32-7. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:01

Senegal · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1081250 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song1:05

Senegal · 2024

© Frank Lambert · XC1041412 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Flight call0:06

Gambia · 2025

© Romuald Mikusek · XC1018439 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~90%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Maiduguri 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~50%
2 Ouagadougou 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
~50%
3 Serrekunda 🇬🇲 Gambia
~40%
4 Dakar 🇸🇳 Senegal
~30%
5 Accra 🇬🇭 Ghana
~30%
6 N'Djamena 🇹🇩 Chad
~20%
7 Abuja 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~10%
8 Doha 🇶🇦 Qatar
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
2 ZooParc de Beauval 🇫🇷 France In captivity
3 Al Ain Zoo 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
4 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
5 Lisbon Zoo 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
6 Öland Zoo and Amusement Park 🇸🇪 Sweden In captivity
7 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
8 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
9 African Village 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
10 Paphos Zoo 🇨🇾 Cyprus In captivity
11 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
12 Santillana Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
13 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
14 Central Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
15 Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
16 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
17 Taichung Aquarium 🇹🇼 Taiwan In captivity
18 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Long-tailed Glossy Starling in N'Djamena?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Glossy Starling sighting in N'Djamena on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 70 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.

When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Glossy Starling in N'Djamena?

July

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Glossy Starling in N'Djamena on a given day, against about 10% in February and March, the lowest months. That is one of N'Djamena's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against almost none in January. June, August and October–December have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Long-tailed Glossy Starling?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Glossy Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is N'Djamena the best place to see a Long-tailed Glossy Starling?

6th of 8

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Long-tailed Glossy Starling sightings, N'Djamena ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Maiduguri (Nigeria, about 50%), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 50%) and Serrekunda (Gambia, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Long-tailed Glossy Starling live in N'Djamena?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Glossy Starling that you can see in N'Djamena (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (about 60%), Common Bulbul (about 60%) and Bronze Mannikin (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Long-tailed Glossy Starling sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Glossy Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in N'Djamena (15 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.

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