Gymnoris xanthocollis
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The yellow-throated sparrow or chestnut-shouldered petronia (Gymnoris xanthocollis) is a species of sparrow found in southern Asia. It is a species mostly of the dry savannah. They forage on the ground for grain and for berries in bushes. They are often seen perched atop bare branches on trees while calling.
It has a finer bill than typical sparrows of the genus Passer and unlike them has no streaks on the plumage. The white double wing bar on the shoulder is diagnostic on the otherwise dull grey-brown sparrow. Males have a chestnut shoulder patch which can sometimes be hard to see. They also have a pale yellow spot on the throat in fresh plumage. Females are duller and lack the chestnut shoulder patch. The yellow spot is much reduced or lacking in females.
This species is tree-loving although sometimes seen on wires and on the ground, where it has a hopping gait. The usual call is a chirrup but the song is distinctive and repetitive chilp chalp cholp. It has a bounding flight and dips deeply before rising up.
This species has sometimes been lumped along with the yellow-spotted petronia (Petronia pyrgita) of Africa. Currently, two subspecies are recognized... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-throated Sparrow sighting in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, based on 203 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-throated Sparrow in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months. Those are among Nagarhole National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in July.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-throated Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
10th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Yellow-throated Sparrow sightings, Nagarhole National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gir National Park (India, about 60%), Bandhavgarh National Park (India, about 40%) and Ranthambore National Park (India, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Yellow-throated Sparrow that you can see in Nagarhole National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 60%), Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (about 60%) and Jungle Myna (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-throated Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Nagarhole National Park (203 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.
