Violet-backed starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783)
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) is a species in the family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 44 g to 44.7 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
_male.jpg){kind=link}
Quick facts about the violet-backed starling
- Weight
- 44 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.7 – 2.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the violet-backed starling live?
Not recorded
What is 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Violet-backed starling” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Violet-backed_starling&oldid=1379927277), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the violet-backed starling endangered?
The violet-backed starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the violet-backed starling classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySturnidae
- genusCinnyricinclus
- SpeciesCinnyricinclus leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783)
Synonyms Turdus leucogaster
Other names and names in other languages (45)
- Plum-coloured starlingEnglish
- VBSTEnglish
- WitborsspreeuAfrikaans
- زرزور أبيض البطنArabic
- زرزور بنفسجي الظهرArabic
- estornell ametistaCatalan
- Кӗске хӳреллӗ аметист шӑнкӑрчChuvash
- leskoptev bělobřicháCzech
- drudwen amethystWelsh
- AmetyststærDanish
- AmethystglanzstarGerman
- Amethyst-GlanzstarGerman
- ametista sturnoEsperanto
- Estornino amatistaSpanish
- Ametüst-kuldnokkEstonian
- orvokkikottarainenFinnish
- purppurakottarainenFinnish
- Merle améthysteFrench
- Cinnyricincle améthysteFrench
- Étourneau améthysteFrench
- Spréo améthysteFrench
- Druid shailchuachachIrish
- זרזיר סגולHebrew
- ljubičasti čvorakCroatian
- ametiszt fényseregélyHungarian
- FjólustariIcelandic
- Storno ametistaItalian
- シロハラムクドリJapanese
- trumpauodegis varnėnasLithuanian
- ametista strazdsLatvian
- AmethistspreeuwDutch
- ametyszczakPolish
- estorninho-ametistaPortuguese
- estorinho-de-dorso-violetaPortuguese
- estorninho-de-dorso-violetaPortuguese
- Аметистовый скворецRussian
- Аметистовый короткохвостый скворецRussian
- liskavec bielobruchýSlovak
- Ametistni čvorakSerbian
- ametiststareSwedish
- Ak Karınlı SığırcıkTurkish
- ReoleTswana
- шпак-куцохвіст аметистовийUkrainian
- 白腹紫椋鳥Chinese
- 白腹紫椋鸟Chinese
Relatives of the violet-backed starling
Other species in the same family Sturnidae.
Common starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Rosy starling
Pastor roseus
Common myna
Acridotheres tristis
Common hill myna
Gracula religiosa
Bali starling
Leucopsar rothschildi
Spotless starling
Sturnus unicolor
CompareViolet-backed starling vs Common starlingViolet-backed starling vs Rosy starlingViolet-backed starling vs Common mynaViolet-backed starling vs Common hill myna
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the violet-backed starling?
An adult violet-backed starling weighs 44 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the violet-backed starling endangered?
The violet-backed starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the violet-backed starling?
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) belongs to the family Sturnidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/violet-backed-starling
“Violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/violet-backed-starling.
@misc{violet_backed_starling_2026,
title = {Violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/violet-backed-starling},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}