Passer castanopterus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus) is a species of bird in the family Passeridae found in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. It is considered a superspecies with the russet sparrow (Passer rutilans) and sometimes is even treated as the same species. However, the similarities in plumage and morphology between the two seem to represent convergent evolution rather than a single lineage.
Two subspecies are recognized: Passer castanopterus castanopterus Blyth, 1855 – Djibouti, Somaliland, and eastern Ethiopia Passer castanopterus fulgens Friedmann, 1931 – southern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya (south to Kapedo and Marsabit). Wikipedia →
Call0:09
Djibouti · 2014
© Jacob Saucier · XC434400 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Somali Sparrow sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 260th most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Somali Sparrow in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Only Samburu National Reserve, in our data
Samburu National Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Somali Sparrow sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Somali Sparrow that you can see in Samburu National Reserve (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are Parrot-billed Sparrow (about 60%) and Chestnut Sparrow (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Somali Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (24 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.
