Bird Album
Great Sparrow
Passer motitensis (Smith, A, 1836)
15–16 cmLength30 gWeight
The great sparrow (Passer motitensis), also known as the southern rufous sparrow, is found in southern Africa in dry, wooded savannah and towns.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, South Africa, Botswana
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, South Africa, Botswana
Great Sparrow has been recorded at 39 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ondudu LodgeNamibia488 records
- Namibgrens Guest FarmNamibia149 records
- Daan Viljoen Game ReserveNamibia149 records
More places
- Polokwane GRSouth Africa131 records
- Kgomo-KgomoSouth Africa131 records
- Okonjima Nature ReserveNamibia125 records
- Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa116 records
- Ai Aiba Rock Painting LodgeNamibia113 records
- Avis DamNamibia106 records
- Spitzkoppe Nature ReserveNamibia89 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The great sparrow (Passer motitensis), also known as the southern rufous sparrow, is found in southern Africa in dry, wooded savannah and towns.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Great Sparrow?
The Great Sparrow is about 15–16 cm long and weighs around 30 g.
Where does the Great Sparrow live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern African acacia savanna: coastal south-central Angola, Namibia, Botswana and southwestern Zimbabwe south to northern South Africa. It is most often recorded in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.
When is the best time to see the Great Sparrow?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Great Sparrow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Sparrow as Least Concern.
What does the Great Sparrow eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Great Sparrow in?
It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 15–16 cm
- Weight
- 30 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 78 mm
- Tail
- 54 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 19 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern African acacia savanna: coastal south-central Angola, Namibia, Botswana and southwestern Zimbabwe south to northern South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Passeridae
- Genus
- Passer
Other birds in the genus Passer
Cape SparrowPasser melanurus
Chestnut SparrowPasser eminibey
Kordofan SparrowPasser cordofanicus
Shelley's SparrowPasser shelleyi
Kenya SparrowPasser rufocinctus
Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus
Swainson's SparrowPasser swainsonii
Swahili SparrowPasser suahelicus
Parrot-billed SparrowPasser gongonensis
Southern Grey-headed SparrowPasser diffusus
Sind SparrowPasser pyrrhonotus
Russet SparrowPasser cinnamomeus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Derek Keats. ↗
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