Passer rufocinctus
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow sighting in Tarangire National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 350th most-seen of the 411 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Kenya Rufous Sparrow in Tarangire National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
12th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Kenya Rufous Sparrow sightings, Tarangire National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 60%), Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 40%) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Kenya Rufous Sparrow that you can see in Tarangire National Park (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are Swahili Sparrow (about 30%), Northern Grey-headed Sparrow (about 20%) and Chestnut 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 Tarangire National Park (10 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.
