Gymnoris dentata
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Sahel bush sparrow (Gymnoris dentata) or bush petronia, is a species of bird in the family Passeridae. It is found in Africa from Mauritania to Guinea and east to Eritrea and the south-western Arabian Peninsula in its natural habitats of dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The Sahel bush sparrow is a small bird with a large, conical beak and a short tail. It grows to a length of about 13 cm (5 in). The male has a grey crown, a wide but ill-defined reddish-brown supercilium and greyish-brown face and throat, surrounding the creamy-white bib. The male's beak is black during the breeding season but horn-coloured during the rest of the year. The plumage on the upper parts and tail is mainly brown, with no white on the tail. The upper throat has an ill-defined yellowish spot and the breast is creamy-buff, becoming whiter on the belly. The female is similar, but has a better-defined white supercilium, brownish rather than grey crown and face, horn-coloured beak all year round and two white wing bars. The juvenile is similar to the female.
This bush sparrow is found in suitable habitat in a broad belt across the Sahel...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mole National Park | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Chinko Conservation Area | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | |
| 3 | Pendjari National Park | 🇧🇯 Benin | |
| 4 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Petronia sighting in Mole National Park on a given day, based on 322 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 266 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Petronia in Mole National Park on a given day, against about 40% in April and June, the lowest months. That is one of Mole National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 220 mm in August. July has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bush Petronia sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Bush Petronia sightings, Mole National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Chinko Conservation Area (Central African Republic, about 50%) and Pendjari National Park (Benin, about 20%).
Same family: Passeridae
The closest relatives of the Bush Petronia that you can see in Mole National Park (family Passeridae, Old World Sparrows) are Northern Grey-headed Sparrow (about 50%) and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bush Petronia is recorded against all the birds logged in Mole National Park (322 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.
