Creatophora cinerea
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The wattled starling (Creatophora cinerea) is a nomadic resident bird in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland, and cultivation. This is the only African starling that appears to show affinities with the Asian starlings, particularly the genus Sturnus. Its bare face patches and ability to open-bill feed in grassland are unique amongst African starlings. It is the only member of the genus Creatophora.
This common species appears to be extending its range into West Africa and has also occurred in Arabia, Madagascar, and Seychelles. The wattled starling is 21 cm long, with a short tail and pointed wings. It has mainly grey plumage except for a white rump, and black flight feathers and tail. The breeding male has a white shoulder patch and a distinctive head pattern, with unfeathered yellow skin, and black forehead and throat wattles. The extent to which these seasonal features develop increases with the age of the bird and some old females may show a weaker version of this plumage.
The non-breeding male has a feathered head except for a small yellow patch behind the eye. There are no wattles, but there is a black moustachial stripe... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Zoo Lagos | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Starling sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 273rd most-seen of the 283 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Starling in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–March, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wattled 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.
41st of 42
Of the 42 parks where we can rate Wattled Starling sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 41st at under 5%. The best odds are in Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 40%), Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, about 40%) and Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Sturnidae
The closest relatives of the Wattled Starling that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (family Sturnidae, Starlings) are Red-shouldered Glossy-starling (about 70%), Violet-backed Starling (about 50%) and Black-bellied Starling (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wattled Starling is recorded against all the birds logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (14 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.
