Great Rufous Sparrow
Passer motitensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyPasseridae (Passèrids)
- GenusPasser (True Sparrows)
- SpeciesPasser motitensis (Great Rufous Sparrow)
The great sparrow (Passer motitensis), also known as the southern rufous sparrow, is found in southern Africa in dry, wooded savannah and towns. This is a 15–16 cm long sparrow superficially like a large house sparrow. It has a grey crown and rear neck and rufous upperparts. While in the past some authorities considered this species and several related species of 'rufous sparrow' on the African mainland to be the same as the Iago sparrow of Cape Verde, they do not appear to be so closely related as thought. A few currently recognise only some of the rufous sparrows as separate from the great sparrow, but the Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International recognise the Socotra sparrow, Kenya sparrow, Kordofan sparrow, and Shelley's sparrow as separate species. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Rufous Sparrow sighting in Pilanesberg National Park, based on 23 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Pilanesberg National Park
Southern Gray-headed Sparrow
Passer diffusus
Cape Sparrow
Passer melanurus
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Plocepasser mahali
Yellow-throated Sparrow
Gymnoris superciliaris
Common Bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Pied Crow
Corvus albus
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Southern Masked Weaver
Ploceus velatus
Crimson-breasted Gonolek
Laniarius atrococcineus
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
Arrow-marked Babbler
Turdoides jardineii
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 6 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 8 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Great Rufous Sparrow in Pilanesberg National Park?
About 7% of wildlife watchers report a Great Rufous Sparrow sighting in Pilanesberg National Park, based on 23 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great Rufous Sparrow in Pilanesberg National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Great Rufous Sparrow in Pilanesberg National Park in our monthly data.