Eremopterix leucotis
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark (Eremopterix leucotis) is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark was originally placed in the genus Loxia. It was later moved to the Lark family Alaudidae under the genus Eremopterix which includes all other sparrow-lark species. Alternate names for this species include: chestnut-backed finch-lark and white-cheeked sparrow-lark.
Found from Senegal and Gambia to central Sudan Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 7 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 8 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 9 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 12 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 13 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 174th most-seen of the 257 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–October and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of South Luangwa National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 310 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-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.
5th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark sightings, South Luangwa National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 10%), Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark that you can see in South Luangwa National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Meves's Glossy-starling (about 80%), White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (about 70%) and Blue-breasted Cordonbleu (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in South Luangwa National Park (30 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.
