Listen to the Violet-backed starling
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Violet-backed starling
The Violet-backed starling is a bird in the family Sturnidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the Violet-backed starling sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as dawn song and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
More from the family Sturnidae
Common starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Common myna
Acridotheres tristis
Spotless starling
Sturnus unicolor
Brahminy starling
Sturnia pagodarum
Indian pied myna
Gracupica contra
Superb starling
Lamprotornis superbus
White-shouldered starling
Sturnia sinensis
Cape starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Red-winged starling
Onychognathus morio
Frequently asked questions
What does a Violet-backed starling sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the Violet-backed starling on this page, including its dawn song and song. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Violet-backed starling endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Violet-backed starling as “least concern”.
What family does the Violet-backed starling belong to?
The Violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) belongs to the family Sturnidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Dawn song, song · kikatiti, Meru, Arusha Region, Tanzania by paulo kivuyo – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Lybius torquatus torquatus, tweesang, Kililene, a by JMK – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q694756 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Violet-backed starling – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Charles J. Sharp – CC BY-SA 4.0