Violet-backed Starling
Violet-backed StarlingViolet-backed StarlingViolet-backed StarlingViolet-backed Starling

Violet-backed Starling

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster

Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kruger National Park
2,759 Verified sightings at Kruger National Park From 2019 to 2026
6,777 Verified sightings across all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Violet-backed Starling

The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-coloured starling or amethyst starling, or Ndambamukula in the Venda language, is a relatively small species (17 cm) of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is the only member of the genus Cinnyricinclus. This strongly sexually dimorphic species is found widely in the woodlands and savannah forest edges of mainland sub-Saharan Africa. It is rarely seen on the ground, but instead found in trees and other locations away from the ground.

The violet-backed starling was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle, which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Turdus leucogaster in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The type locality is Benin in West Africa. The violet-backed starling... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Kruger National Park

Burchell's Glossy-starling
LC

Burchell's Glossy-starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis australis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
LC

Red-shouldered Glossy-starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis nitens

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Greater Blue-eared Starling
LC

Greater Blue-eared Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis chalybaeus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Wattled Starling
LC

Wattled Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Creatophora cinerea

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-winged Starling
LC

Red-winged Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychognathus morio

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Meves's Glossy-starling
LC

Meves's Glossy-starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis mevesii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Pied Starling
LC

Pied Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis bicolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Fork-tailed Drongo
LC

Fork-tailed Drongo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dicrurus adsimilis

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Common Bulbul
LC

Common Bulbul

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pycnonotus barbatus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Red-billed Oxpecker

Red-billed Oxpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buphagus erythrorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Blue-breasted Cordonbleu
LC

Blue-breasted Cordonbleu

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Uraeginthus angolensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Magpie Shrike

Magpie Shrike

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Urolestes melanoleucus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
2 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
3 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
4 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
6 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
7 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
8 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
9 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
10 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
11 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
12 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
13 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
14 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
15 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
16 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
17 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
18 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
19 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
20 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
21 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
22 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
23 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
24 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
25 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
26 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
27 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
28 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
29 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
30 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
31 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
32 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
33 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
34 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
35 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
36 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
37 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
39 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
40 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
41 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
42 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
43 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
44 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
45 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
Insufficient data
46 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
47 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
48 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Violet-backed Starling in Kruger National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Violet-backed Starling sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 2,759 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Violet-backed Starling in Kruger National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Violet-backed Starling in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.

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