Centronyx henslowii
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
Henslow's sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) is a North American passerine bird in the family Passerellidae. It was named by John James Audubon in honor of John Stevens Henslow. It was originally classified in the genus Emberiza and called Henslow's bunting.
Adults have streaked brown upperparts with a light brown breast with streaks, a white belly and a white throat. They have a pale stripe on the crown with a dark stripe on each side, an olive face and neck, rust-coloured wings and a short dark forked tail.
Measurements: Length: 4.3–5.1 in (11–13 cm) Weight: 0.4–0.5 oz (11–14 g) Wingspan: 6.3–7.9 in (16–20 cm) Henslow's sparrows breed in fields and meadows across interior eastern North America. Their range stretches from New York and Pennsylvania across the midwest to as far west as Kansas, with a disjunct population in North Carolina, though their populations are scattered and low-density. Historically, Henslow's sparrows were much more widespread and bred as far east as New England. They winter in weedy fields in the American south from Texas and Arkansas east to South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
The range and numbers of this bird... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Henslow's Sparrow sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 161st most-seen of the 173 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Henslow's Sparrow in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Henslow's Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Henslow's Sparrow sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Henslow's Sparrow that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Song Sparrow (about 40%), Chipping Sparrow (about 40%) and Dark-eyed Junco (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Henslow's Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
