Lamprotornis australis
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Glossy-starling sighting in Hwange National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 297th most-seen of the 308 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.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Burchell's Glossy-starling in Hwange National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Hwange National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January.
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.
7th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Burchell's Glossy-starling sightings, Hwange National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. 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 Hwange National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Meves's Glossy-starling (about 30%), Greater Blue-eared Starling (about 30%) and Red-shouldered Glossy-starling (about 20%), 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 Hwange National Park (7 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.
