Southern Gray-headed Sparrow
Southern Gray-headed SparrowSouthern Gray-headed SparrowSouthern Gray-headed SparrowSouthern Gray-headed Sparrow

Southern Gray-headed Sparrow

Passer diffusus

Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Etosha National Park
909 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,665 Verified sightings across all 24 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Southern Gray-headed Sparrow

The southern grey-headed sparrow (Passer diffusus) is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the grey-headed sparrow. It is found in savanna and woodland in Angola and Zambia southwards into South Africa, where it is expanding its range and is kept as a caged bird, like its relative the white-rumped seedeater.

Media related to Passer diffusus at Wikimedia Commons Southern Grey-headed Sparrow at the Internet Bird Collection Southern Grey-headed Sparrow species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Southern grey-headed sparrow Structured guide to the species in southern Africa Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Great Rufous Sparrow
LC

Great Rufous Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passer motitensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Cape Sparrow
LC Endemic

Cape Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passer melanurus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
LC

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passer griseus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
LC

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Plocepasser mahali

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Social Weaver
LC

Social Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Philetairus socius

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Fork-tailed Drongo
LC

Fork-tailed Drongo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dicrurus adsimilis

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
LC

Red-shouldered Glossy-starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis nitens

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
African Red-eyed Bulbul
LC

African Red-eyed Bulbul

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pycnonotus nigricans

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Cape Crow
LC

Cape Crow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus capensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Pied Crow
LC

Pied Crow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus albus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Mariqua Flycatcher
LC

Mariqua Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis mariquensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Sabota Lark
LC

Sabota Lark

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calendulauda sabota

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~60%
2 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
3 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~50%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
5 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
6 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~40%
7 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
8 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
9 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
10 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
11 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
12 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
13 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
14 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~20%
15 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
16 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
17 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
18 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
19 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
20 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
21 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
22 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
23 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
24 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Gray-headed Sparrow in Etosha National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Gray-headed Sparrow sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 909 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Southern Gray-headed Sparrow in Etosha National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Southern Gray-headed Sparrow in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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