Lamprotornis purpureus
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The purple starling (Lamprotornis purpureus), also known as the purple glossy starling, is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal and north Zaire east to Sudan and west Kenya. This common passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation.
The adults of these stocky 22–23 cm long birds have a metallic purple head and body, and glossy green wings. They have a short tail and a yellow eye. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller, with grey underparts and a brown iris.
This is a gregarious and noisy bird, with typical starling squeaks and chattering. The purple starling builds a nest in a hole. The normal clutch is two eggs. Like most starlings, the purple starling is omnivorous, eating fruit and insects.
Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 3 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 4 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 9 | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 12 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 14 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 15 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 17 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 19 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 20 | Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 21 | Łódź Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 22 | Krakow Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 23 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 24 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 25 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 26 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 27 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 28 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 29 | Birdworld | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 30 | La Ferme aux crocodiles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 31 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 32 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 33 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 34 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 35 | Capron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Montecasino Bird Gardens | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 37 | Zoo Lagos | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 38 | Zoopark Nehvizdy | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 39 | Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 40 | Oceanium | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 41 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | The Green Planet | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Glossy-Starling sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, based on 356 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 215 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Glossy-Starling in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, against about 50% in April, August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Niokolo-Koba National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 300 mm in August. May–July and October have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Glossy-Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Purple Glossy-Starling sightings, Niokolo-Koba National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, under 5%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
Same genus: Lamprotornis
The closest relatives of the Purple Glossy-Starling that you can see in Niokolo-Koba National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Long-tailed Glossy Starling (about 90%), Bronze-tailed Glossy-Starling (about 20%) and Greater Blue-eared Starling (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Glossy-Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Niokolo-Koba National Park (356 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.
