The northern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer griseus''), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, including open woodlands and human habitation, often occupying the same niche as the

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pa ...

does in Eurasia. The adult northern grey-headed sparrow has a pale grey head with a white moustache stripe, pale brown upperparts, whitish underparts and chestnut wings with a small white shoulder patch. The sexes are similar, but young birds are slightly duller and lack the white wing patch. There are three subspecies, differing in plumage tone, especially with regard to the darkness of the head. This sparrow is mainly resident in its range, but there is some seasonal movement, and flocks of up to 50 birds form outside the breeding season. It builds a cup nest in trees, thatch, or old nests of other birds; 2–4 eggs are laid. This species feeds principally on seeds and grain, like other sparrows, but will readily take insects including

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

s, especially when feeding young. The calls include cheeps and chirps, and the typical sparrow churring alarm call. The northern grey-headed sparrow is replaced in eastern and southern Africa by very similar birds that are sometimes considered races of this species:

Swainson's sparrow Swainson's sparrow (''Passer swainsonii'') is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. Sometimes considered a subspecies of the grey-headed sparrow, it occurs in northeastern Africa, largely in the Ethiopian Highlands. This sparrow w ...

, the

parrot-billed sparrow The parrot-billed sparrow (''Passer gongonensis'') is found in the arid lowlands of eastern Africa. At and , it is the largest of the sparrows of the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinit ...

, the

Swahili sparrow The Swahili sparrow (''Passer suahelicus'') is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It lives in the savanna of southern Kenya and Tanzania. Until recently, it was usually treated as a subspecies of the northern grey-headed sparrow ...

, and the

southern grey-headed sparrow The southern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer diffusus'') is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marri ...

References

External links

Media related to the northern grey-headed sparrow
at the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q1316022

northern grey-headed sparrow The northern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer griseus''), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, includ ...

Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa