Passer melanurus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus), or mossie, is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae found in southern Africa. A medium-sized sparrow at 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in), it has distinctive plumage, including large pale head stripes in both sexes. Its plumage is mostly grey, brown, and chestnut, and the male has some bold black and white markings on its head and neck. The species inhabits semi-arid savannah, cultivated areas, and towns, and ranges from the central coast of Angola to eastern South Africa and Eswatini. Three subspecies are distinguished in different parts of its range.
Cape sparrows primarily eat seeds, and also eat soft plant parts and insects. They typically breed in colonies, and when not breeding they gather in large nomadic flocks to move around in search of food. The nest can be constructed in a tree, a bush, a cavity, or a disused nest of another species. A typical clutch contains three or four eggs, and both parents are involved in breeding, from nest building to feeding young. The Cape sparrow is common in most of its range and coexists successfully in urban habitats with two of its relatives, the native southern grey-headed sparrow and the house sparrow, an introduced species. The Cape sparrow's population has not been recorded decreasing significantly, and it is not seriously threatened by human activities, so it is assessed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 9 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sparrow sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 3,473 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sparrow in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 70% in April to June, the lowest months. That is one of Johannesburg's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 130 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Cape Sparrow sightings, Johannesburg has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 70%) and Cape Town (South Africa, about 70%).
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Cape Sparrow that you can see in Johannesburg (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are Southern Gray-headed Sparrow (about 20%) and House Sparrow (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (3,473 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.
