White-headed Sawwing

White-headed Sawwing

Psalidoprocne albiceps

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Queen Elizabeth National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

370 Verified sightings at Queen Elizabeth National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,029 In all 16 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-headed Sawwing

The white-headed saw-wing (Psalidoprocne albiceps), also known as the white-headed rough-winged swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern by the IUCN. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:10

Uganda · 2015

© Martin St-Michel · XC289267 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
2 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
3 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
4 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
5 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
7 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
8 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
9 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
10 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
11 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
12 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
13 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
14 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-headed Sawwing in Queen Elizabeth National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Sawwing sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, based on 370 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 78th most-seen of the 434 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-headed Sawwing in Queen Elizabeth National Park?

June and July

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Sawwing in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Queen Elizabeth National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a White-headed Sawwing?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Sawwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Queen Elizabeth National Park the best place to see a White-headed Sawwing?

Yes

Of the 16 parks where we can rate White-headed Sawwing sightings, Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 20%).

Where does the White-headed Sawwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-headed Sawwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Queen Elizabeth National Park (370 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.

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