Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)
Southern Rufous Sparrow (Passer motitensis) - HBW 14, p. 800
French: Grand Moineau
German: Rostsperling
Spanish: Gorrión Grande
Other common names: Great/Rufous Sparrow; Namibia (Rufous) Sparrow (benguellensis)
Taxonomy: Pyrgita Motitensis A. Smith, 1836, Hopetown, northern Cape Province; error = Motita, near Old Lakatoo, 135 miles [c. 215 km] north of Orange River, South Africa.
Forms a superspecies with P. iagoensis, P. cordofanicus, P. shelleyi, P. insularis and P. rufocinctus, and all sometimes considered conspecific. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- benguellensis Lynes, 1926 - coastal SW Angola and Namibia.
- motitensis ( A. Smith, 1836) - Botswana and N South Africa (N Northern Cape and North West Province).
- subsolanus Clancey, 1964 - SW Zimbabwe and N & C South Africa (Limpopo Province S to N & W Free State).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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on the ground, looking around Locality Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Ghanzi District, Botswana
Volkert van der Willigen 6 February 2005 2 years ago 12 sec 2.7
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Male on the ground.
Locality Spitzkoppe, Erongo Region, Namibia (ssp benguellensis)
Fran Trabalon 7 November 2011 1 year ago 4.2 -
Female on the ground, the male behind to its left.
Locality Spitzkoppe, Erongo Region, Namibia (ssp benguellensis)
Fran Trabalon 7 November 2011 1 year ago 3.6 -
A dorsal view of a male.
Locality Solitaire, Khomas Region, Namibia (ssp benguellensis)
Ken Havard 5 April 2013 2 weeks ago ADDED LAST MONTH 3.5 -
A male perched on an acacia tree, relieves the heat by opening their bill.
Locality Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok NP), Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp motitensis)
Carmelo López 6 December 2010 2 years ago 3.5 -
a bird on the tree
Locality Pilanesberg National Park, North West Province, South Africa
Tadeusz Stawarczyk 10 April 2011 1 year ago 3.2 -
pair
Locality Mabalingwe Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Georges Olioso 16 September 2004 3 years ago 3
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Call. Other species calling? Locality Erongo Wilderness Lodge, Erongo Region, Namibia
(ssp benguellensis)
Charles Hesse 14 November 2009 3 years ago 3
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