White-headed Sawwing

White-headed Sawwing

Psalidoprocne albiceps

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Masai Mara National Reserve

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

584 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
2,029 In all 16 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-headed Sawwing

The white-headed saw-wing (Psalidoprocne albiceps), also known as the white-headed rough-winged swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern by the IUCN. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:10

Uganda · 2015

© Martin St-Michel · XC289267 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
2 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
3 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
4 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
5 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
7 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
8 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
9 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
10 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
11 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
12 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
13 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
14 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-headed Sawwing in Masai Mara National Reserve?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Sawwing sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 584 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 70th most-seen of the 398 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-headed Sawwing in Masai Mara National Reserve?

February and April–May

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Sawwing in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in June and September–October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-headed Sawwing?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Sawwing 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 Masai Mara National Reserve the best place to see a White-headed Sawwing?

Among the best

Of the 16 parks where we can rate White-headed Sawwing sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 4th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 20%), Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 20%).

Where does the White-headed Sawwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-headed Sawwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (584 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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