Pied Starling
Lamprotornis bicolor
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusLamprotornis (Glossy Starlings and Allies)
- SpeciesLamprotornis bicolor (Pied Starling)
About the Pied Starling
The pied starling or African pied starling (Lamprotornis bicolor) is a bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is common in most of its range, but largely absent from the arid northwest and the eastern lowlands of South Africa. It is found in open habitats such as grassland, karoo scrub, thornbush and agricultural land, and often associates with farm animals.
The pied starling was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus bicolor. Gmelin based his description on "Le merle brun du cap de Bonne Espérance" that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his book Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The pied starling is now placed in the genus Lamprotornis that was introduced in 1820 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The adult of this 27–28 cm (11 in) long starling has mainly dully glossed black plumage except for a white lower belly and... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Pied Starling in Kruger National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kruger National Park
Burchell's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis australis
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Meves's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis mevesii
Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
Wattled Starling
Creatophora cinerea
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Common Bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus
Red-billed Oxpecker
Buphagus erythrorhynchus
Blue-breasted Cordonbleu
Uraeginthus angolensis
Magpie Shrike
Urolestes melanoleucus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Pied Starling in Kruger National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pied Starling sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Pied Starling in Kruger National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Pied Starling in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.