Eremopterix verticalis
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The grey-backed sparrow-lark (Eremopterix verticalis) or grey-backed finch-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern and south-central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Sometimes, the name 'grey-backed sparrow-lark' is also used to describe the black-eared sparrow-lark.
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Grey-backed sparrow-lark Structured guide to the species in southern Africa Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 92 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 108 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark sightings, Namib-Naukluft National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 30%) and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Alaudidae
The closest relatives of the Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (family Alaudidae, Larks) are Dune Lark (about 40%), Gray's Lark (about 10%) and Stark's Lark (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (92 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.
