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 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sparrow sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 558 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 6th most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Sparrow in Pretoria on a given day, against about 50% in October, the lowest month. Those are among Pretoria's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain a month 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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Cape Sparrow sightings, Pretoria ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 80%).
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Cape Sparrow that you can see in Pretoria (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are Southern Gray-headed Sparrow (about 40%) 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 Pretoria (558 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.
