Shelley's Sparrow
Passer shelleyi Sharpe, 1891
22 gWeight
Shelley's sparrow (Passer shelleyi), also known as Shelley's rufous sparrow or the White Nile rufous sparrow, is a sparrow found in eastern Africa from South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and north-western Somalia to northern Uganda and north-western Kenya.
Busiest months: July · Most records: Uganda, Ethiopia
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: July · Most records: Uganda, Ethiopia
Shelley's Sparrow has been recorded at 15 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda256 records
- Murchison Falls NP – PakubaUganda64 records
- Yabello areaEthiopia52 records
More places
- Kidepo Valley NPUganda27 records
- Murchison Falls NP – Nile RiverUganda12 records
- Murchison Falls NP – Boat trip Paraa to Victoria Nile DeltaUganda7 records
- Budongo Forest Reserve – Royal MileUganda4 records
- Lake Awassa – United Africa Shebelle Hotel areaEthiopia3 records
- Queen Elizabeth II NPUganda3 records
- Murchison Falls NP – Boat trip Paraa to Murchison FallsUganda2 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
Shelley's sparrow (Passer shelleyi), also known as Shelley's rufous sparrow or the White Nile rufous sparrow, is a sparrow found in eastern Africa from South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and north-western Somalia to northern Uganda and north-western Kenya. Formerly, it was considered as a subspecies of the Kenya sparrow. This species is named after English geologist and ornithologist George Ernest Shelley.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Shelley's Sparrow?
The Shelley's Sparrow weighs around 22 g.
Where does the Shelley's Sparrow live?
Its breeding range: Africa: northeastern African open wooded savanna and fields: southern South Sudan northeast to southern, central, northeastern Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia; southern to northern Uganda and far west-central Kenya. It is most often recorded in Uganda and Ethiopia.
When is the best time to see the Shelley's Sparrow?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Shelley's Sparrow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Shelley's Sparrow as Least Concern.
What does the Shelley's Sparrow eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Shelley's Sparrow in?
It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 22 g
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 70 mm
- Tail
- 52 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 17 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: northeastern African open wooded savanna and fields: southern South Sudan northeast to southern, central, northeastern Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia; southern to northern Uganda and far west-central Kenya
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
Kenya SparrowPasser rufocinctus
Great SparrowPasser motitensis
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 markus lilje. ↗
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