Passer griseus
The Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, *Passer griseus*, is a familiar and adaptable passerine found across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Measuring approximately 14-15 cm in length with a weight of 22-30 grams, this sparrow is easily identified by its distinctive plain grey head, nape, and hindneck, which contrasts subtly with its otherwise brown upperparts and whitish underparts. Its wings are brownish with two faint wing-bars, though these are often inconspicuous. Unlike many bird species, *Passer...
Highly adaptable, the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow thrives in diverse open habitats, including savannas, open woodlands, cultivated lands, and is particularly common in urban and suburban areas, often found from sea level up to 2,500 meters.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on a wide variety of grass seeds and cultivated grains, supplemented with insects (especially for nestlings), fruit, nectar, and human food waste, foraging mainly by ground gleaning or pecking from surfaces.
Northern Grey-headed Sparrows are diurnal and typically gregarious, forming mixed-species foraging flocks and often congregating in large, noisy communal roosts in trees or reedbeds outside the breeding season. Their foraging strategy is opportunistic, primarily gleaning seeds from the ground, bu...
The Northern Grey-headed Sparrow is extensively distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, occupying a vast range from Mauritania and Senegal in the west, eastward through the Sahel and Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia), and southward through Central, East, and Southern Africa. Its breeding...
Least Concern
- The Northern Grey-headed Sparrow is one of the most widespread and successful *Passer* species across sub-Saharan Africa, a testament to its adaptability. - It is highly commensal, meaning it thrives in close association with humans, often colonizing new areas as human settlements expand. - Thi...