Passer rufocinctus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 461 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 80th most-seen of the 519 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.
January, April and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against about 10% in May to September, the lowest months. Those are among Ngorongoro Conservation Area's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
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.
3rd of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Rufous Sparrow sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 60%) and Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Kenya Rufous Sparrow that you can see in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are Swahili Sparrow (about 20%), Chestnut Sparrow (about 10%) and Northern Grey-headed Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Kenya Rufous Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (461 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.
