Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Rüppell's starling (Lamprotornis purpuroptera), also known as Rueppell's glossy-starling or Rueppell's long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 10 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 12 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 16 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 19 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 20 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 21 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 22 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rüppell's Glossy-starling sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Rüppell's Glossy-starling in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 20% in March and December, the lowest months. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rüppell'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.
10th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Rüppell's Glossy-starling sightings, Meru National Park ranks 10th at about 30%. The best odds are in Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 80%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 70%) and Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Lamprotornis
The closest relatives of the Rüppell's Glossy-starling that you can see in Meru National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Superb Starling (about 90%), Greater Blue-eared Starling (about 20%) and Golden-breasted Starling (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rüppell's Glossy-starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (51 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.
