Passer griseus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The northern grey-headed sparrow (Passer griseus), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, including open woodlands and human habitation, often occupying the same niche as the house sparrow does in Eurasia.
The adult northern grey-headed sparrow has a pale grey head with a white moustache stripe, pale brown upperparts, whitish underparts and chestnut wings with a small white shoulder patch. The sexes are similar, but young birds are slightly duller and lack the white wing patch. There are three subspecies, differing in plumage tone, especially with regard to the darkness of the head.
This sparrow is mainly resident in its range, but there is some seasonal movement, and flocks of up to 50 birds form outside the breeding season. It builds a cup nest in trees, thatch, or old nests of other birds; 2–4 eggs are laid.
This species feeds principally on seeds and grain, like other sparrows, but will readily take insects including termites, especially when feeding young. The calls include cheeps and chirps, and the typical sparrow churring alarm call.
The northern grey-headed sparrow is replaced in eastern and southern Africa by very similar birds that are sometimes considered races of this species: Swainson's sparrow, the parrot-billed sparrow, the Swahili sparrow, and the southern grey-headed sparrow. Wikipedia →
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sighting in Accra on a given day, based on 116 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 41st most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Grey-headed Sparrow in Accra on a given day, against about 10% in January–February and August–September, the lowest months. That is one of Accra's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 200 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 21
Of the 21 cities where we can rate Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sightings, Accra ranks 14th at about 20%. The best odds are in Yaoundé (Cameroon, about 80%), Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo, about 50%) and Maiduguri (Nigeria, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Accra (116 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
