Lamprotornis hildebrandti
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Hildebrandt's starling (Lamprotornis hildebrandti) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It forms a superspecies with and has previously been included in the same species as Shelley's starling, a migratory species ranging from Ethiopia and Somalia to Kenya. Both of these species have also been combined into a superspecies with the chestnut-bellied starling of West Africa. It was originally placed in the now defunct genus Notauges. The species is named after Johann Maria Hildebrandt, a German collector who was the first European to obtain specimens.
Hildebrandt's starling is found in Kenya and Tanzania, where it occupies open country between 500 and 2,200 m (1,600 and 7,200 ft). Its habitat is open woodland and open thornbrush country. The species is often recorded as being uncommon, but it varies from being fairly common to fairly uncommon. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN, and is listed as least concern. Its habitat is not threatened and it occurs in a number of protected areas.
Hildebrandt's starling is 18 cm (7.1 in) in length and weighs 50 to 69 g (1.8–2.4 oz). The adult has bright iridescent plumage on its... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hildebrandt's Starling sighting in Lake Manyara National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 90th most-seen of the 307 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hildebrandt's Starling in Lake Manyara National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month. Those are among Lake Manyara National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hildebrandt's 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.
9th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Hildebrandt's Starling sightings, Lake Manyara National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 50%), Mkomazi National Park (Tanzania, about 30%) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hildebrandt's Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Lake Manyara National Park (61 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.
