Java Sparrow

Java Sparrow

Lonchura oryzivora

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Davao City

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

10 Verified sightings at Davao City
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Java Sparrow

The Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora; syn. Lonchura oryzivora), also known as the Java finch, Java rice sparrow or Java rice bird, is a small passerine bird. This species in the family Estrildidae is a resident breeding bird in Java, Bali, and Bawean in Indonesia. It is a popular cage bird, and has been introduced into many other countries.

The Java sparrow was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia oryzivora. The specific epithet combines Latin oryza meaning "rice" with -vorus meaning "eating". Linnaeus based his description on the "Padda or Rice-bird" that had been described and illustrated in 1743 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Edwards believed that his specimens had come from China but mentions the common name "Java sparrow".

The species was long classified in the genus Padda, but on the basis of preliminary genetic studies Padda was merged into the genus Lonchura in 2009, before being returned to its older generic status in 2020 following more detailed genetic analysis.

The Java sparrow is about... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:17

United States · 2023

© Steven Kurniawidjaja · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:19

United States · 2022

© Cori Dixon · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:29

United States · 2023

© nature_jane · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manila 🇵🇭 Philippines
~10%
2 Davao City 🇵🇭 Philippines
~10%
3 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
4 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Java Sparrow in Davao City?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Java Sparrow sighting in Davao City on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 71st most-seen of the 100 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Java Sparrow in Davao City?

November

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Java Sparrow in Davao City on a given day, against under 5% in February–August and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Java Sparrow?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Java 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.

Is Davao City the best place to see a Java Sparrow?

Among the best

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Java Sparrow sightings, Davao City ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manila (Philippines, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Java Sparrow live in Davao City?

Same genus: Lonchura

The closest relatives of the Java Sparrow that you can see in Davao City (genus Lonchura, Typical Munias and Mannikins) are Chestnut Munia (about 60%) and White-bellied Munia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Java Sparrow sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Java Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Davao City (10 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.

← Back to Davao City