Meves's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis mevesii
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusLamprotornis (Glossy Starlings and Allies)
- SpeciesLamprotornis mevesii (Meves's Glossy-starling)
Meves's starling (Lamprotornis mevesii), also Meves's glossy starling and Long-tailed starling, is a species of starling in the genus Lamprotornis. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its English and Latin names commemorate the German ornithologist Friedrich Wilhelm Meves. It is 30–36 cm long, with a very long tail; in dull light coloured black, but in bright light, with moderate to intensely strong iridescent gloss. It can be distinguished from the similar Burchell's starling by its longer tail with strongly graduated feathers (the central pair of tail feathers the longest, with subsequent pairs of feathers shorter to the outermost), and from other long-tailed species of Lamprotornis by its dark eyes. Three subspecies are accepted: Lamprotornis mevesii benguelensis Shelley, 1906 — southwestern Angola (Angola Escarpment). Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Meves's Glossy-starling sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 436 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kruger National Park
Burchell's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis australis
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Pied Starling
Lamprotornis bicolor
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
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ 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
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 9 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Meves's Glossy-starling in Kruger National Park?
About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Meves's Glossy-starling sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 436 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Meves's Glossy-starling in Kruger National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Meves's Glossy-starling in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.