Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rüppell's Glossy-starling sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 314th most-seen of the 519 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rüppell's Glossy-starling in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, May–August and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Ngorongoro Conservation Area's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
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.
16th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Rüppell's Glossy-starling sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 16th at under 5%. 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 Ngorongoro Conservation Area (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Superb Starling (about 60%) and Hildebrandt's Starling (about 30%), 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 Ngorongoro Conservation Area (62 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.
