Lamprotornis superbus
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) is a member of the starling family of birds. This species has a very large range and can commonly be found in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania.
The superb starling lives in savanna, in thornbush and acacia arid areas, open woodland, lakeshore woodlands, gardens and cultivated fields, at altitudes of 0–2,650 metres (0–8,690 ft) above sea level. This species is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long. These small short-tailed starlings have a long narrow bill, robust bodies, strong feet and a distinctive plumage pattern. Adults have black heads and iridescent blue-to-green back, upper breast, wings, and tail. The belly is red-orange, separated from the blue breast by a white bar. The undertail coverts and the wing linings are white. Juveniles have duller plumage with no more than a suggestion of the white breast band. Their eyes are brown at first, later creamy white.
The superb starling has a long and loud song consisting of trills and chatters. At midday it gives a softer song of repeated phrases. There are several harsh calls, the most complex of which... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 14 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 18 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 19 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Basel Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 4 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 6 | Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Aquarium of Genoa | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 8 | Antwerp Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 9 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Safaripark Beekse Bergen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 15 | Safari West | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 20 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 29 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 30 | Chiba Zoological Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 31 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 35 | Zoo de La Flèche | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 36 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 39 | Honolulu Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Hogle Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 43 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 44 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Rosamond Gifford Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 47 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 48 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 49 | Eindhoven Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 50 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Superb Starling sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Superb Starling in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January and April–May, the lowest months. That is one of Ruaha National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Superb Starling sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
15th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Superb Starling sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 15th at about 40%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 90%), Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 90%) and Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Lamprotornis
The closest relatives of the Superb Starling that you can see in Ruaha National Park (genus Lamprotornis, Glossy Starlings and Allies) are Ashy Starling (about 70%) and Greater Blue-eared Starling (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Superb Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (119 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.
