Kenya Rufous Sparrow

Kenya Rufous Sparrow

Passer rufocinctus

Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Lake Nakuru National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

446 Verified sightings at Lake Nakuru National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,085 In all 12 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Kenya Rufous Sparrow

The Kenya sparrow (Passer rufocinctus), also known as the Kenya rufous sparrow, is a sparrow found in Kenya and Tanzania. It tends to be found in dry wooded savannah and agricultural areas. Some authorities have lumped the great sparrow (P. motitensis), the Kenya sparrow, and the Socotra sparrow (P. insularis) into P. motitensis following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993). Some authorities also lump Shelley's sparrow and the Kordofan sparrow with this species, or all three with the great sparrow.

Media related to the Kenya sparrow at the Internet Bird Collection Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:43

Kenya · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1179084 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:44

Kenya · 2024

© Nathan Mixon · XC950623 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:28

Kenya · 2022

© Lars Lachmann · XC749257 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
2 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
3 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
4 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
5 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
6 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
7 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
8 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
9 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
10 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
11 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
12 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Kenya Rufous Sparrow in Lake Nakuru National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 446 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 369 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Kenya Rufous Sparrow in Lake Nakuru National Park?

April

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January to March, the lowest months. That is one of Lake Nakuru National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Kenya Rufous Sparrow?

Between 7 and 10 am

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

Is Lake Nakuru National Park the best place to see a Kenya Rufous Sparrow?

2nd of 12

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Rufous Sparrow sightings, Lake Nakuru National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Kenya Rufous Sparrow sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Kenya Rufous Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Lake Nakuru National Park (446 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.

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