Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusCinnyricinclus
- SpeciesCinnyricinclus leucogaster (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. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Samburu National Reserve
Superb Starling
Lamprotornis superbus
Wattled Starling
Creatophora cinerea
Golden-breasted Starling
Lamprotornis regius
Fischer's Starling
Lamprotornis fischeri
Magpie Starling
Speculipastor bicolor
Bristle-crowned Starling
Onychognathus salvadorii
Rüppell's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Hildebrandt's Starling
Lamprotornis hildebrandti
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Plocepasser mahali
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver
Dinemellia dinemelli
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Violet-backed Starling at Samburu National Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there