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Where to see

Where to see the Common Starling in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Common Starling at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Anysberg Nature Reserve.

Sturnus vulgaris

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Common Starling
Photo: (c) Shiva Shenoy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Shiva Shenoy

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Common Starling

Hosts have recorded the Common Starling at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Anysberg Nature Reserve.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Cederberg Wilderness Area · Goukamma · Anysberg

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Cederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaAnysbergRocherpanDe Hoop

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

Kwandwe

Species

Sturnus vulgaris

Records

3,430

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Common Starling on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Common Starling in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Common Starling at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve and De Hoop Nature Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

Where can you see the Common Starling in South Africa?

The Common Starling is most recorded in Western Cape (76% of records), Eastern Cape (20% of records), based on 3,430 iNaturalist observations. 61 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Common Starling on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Common Starling?

The Common Starling is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Anysberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Common Starling?

Sturnus is a genus of starlings. As discussed below, the taxonomy of this group is complex, and other authorities differ considerably in which species they place in this genus, and in the species boundaries within Sturnus. The genus name Sturnus is the Latin for "starling".

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Common Starling

Every stay on the Common Starling page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

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