Passer griseus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The northern grey-headed sparrow (Passer griseus), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, including open woodlands and human habitation, often occupying the same niche as the house sparrow does in Eurasia.
The adult northern grey-headed sparrow has a pale grey head with a white moustache stripe, pale brown upperparts, whitish underparts and chestnut wings with a small white shoulder patch. The sexes are similar, but young birds are slightly duller and lack the white wing patch. There are three subspecies, differing in plumage tone, especially with regard to the darkness of the head.
This sparrow is mainly resident in its range, but there is some seasonal movement, and flocks of up to 50 birds form outside the breeding season. It builds a cup nest in trees, thatch, or old nests of other birds; 2–4 eggs are laid.
This species feeds principally on seeds and grain, like other sparrows, but will readily take insects including termites, especially when feeding young. The calls include cheeps and chirps, and the typical sparrow churring alarm call.
The northern grey-headed sparrow is replaced in eastern and southern Africa by very similar birds that are sometimes considered races of this species: Swainson's sparrow, the parrot-billed sparrow, the Swahili sparrow, and the southern grey-headed sparrow. Wikipedia →
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 256 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 65th most-seen of the 252 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.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Grey-headed Sparrow in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 30
Of the 30 parks where we can rate Northern Grey-headed Sparrow sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 12th at about 20%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 50%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 50%) and Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow that you can see in Nyungwe National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Chubb's Cisticola (about 70%), Common Bulbul (about 60%) and Green White-eye (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (256 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.
