Lamprotornis mevesii
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
Meves's starling (Lamprotornis mevesii), also Meves's glossy starling and Long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the genus Lamprotornis. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Its English and Latin names commemorate the German ornithologist Friedrich Wilhelm Meves. It is 30–36 cm long, with a very long tail; in dull light coloured black, but in bright light, with moderate to intensely strong iridescent gloss. It can be distinguished from the similar Burchell's starling by its longer tail with strongly graduated feathers (the central pair of tail feathers the longest, with subsequent pairs of feathers shorter to the outermost), and from other long-tailed species of Lamprotornis by its dark eyes.
Three subspecies are accepted: Lamprotornis mevesii benguelensis Shelley, 1906 — southwestern Angola (Angola Escarpment). Duller and browner, less glossy on the body and tail than the other subspecies. Lamprotornis mevesii violacior Clancey, 1973 — northern Namibia and south-central Angola. Dark, violet-purple glossed.
Lamprotornis mevesii mevesii (Wahlberg, 1856) — southeasternmost Angola, northeastern Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, east to southeastern Zambia, southern Malawi, and northeastern South Africa. Intensely green-and-blue glossed, with some bronze gloss on the flanks.
Some authorities have treated the three as separate species, but this is not widely followed. It is typically found in small flocks in mopane woodland, usually along major river basins, and often in areas which are flooded in the rainy season. The breeding season lasts from September to May, with peak nesting activity in February to March. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 9 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avifauna | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Meves's Glossy-starling sighting in Lower Zambezi National Park on a given day, based on 242 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 241 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Meves's Glossy-starling in Lower Zambezi National Park on a given day, against about 60% in September and October, the lowest months. That is one of Lower Zambezi National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 290 mm in January. February and March have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Meves's 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.
5th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Meves's Glossy-starling sightings, Lower Zambezi National Park ranks 5th at about 70%. The best odds are in Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 80%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 80%) and South Luangwa National Park (Zambia, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Meves's Glossy-starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Lower Zambezi National Park (242 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.
