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The sparrows, true sparrows, or Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae are small passerine birds. As eight or more species nest in or near buildings, and the House Sparrow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow in particular inhabit cities in large numbers, sparrows may be the most familiar of all wild birds.^[1]

Description

Generally, sparrows tend to be small, plump brown-grey birds with short tails and stubby, powerful beaks. The differences between sparrow species can be subtle. They are primarily seed-eaters, though they also consume small insects. A few species scavenge for food around cities and, like gulls or pigeons, will happily eat virtually anything in small quantities. Members of this family range in size from the Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey), at 11.4 centimetres (4.5 in) and 13.4 grams (0.47 oz), to the Parrot-billed Sparrow (Passer gongonensis), at 18 centimetres (7.1 in) and 42 grams (1.5 oz). Sparrows are physically similar to other seed-eating birds, such as finches, but have a vestigial dorsal outer primary feather and an extra bone in the tongue.^[2]

Taxonomy

A sparrow chick in Italy

Painting of Black-winged Snowfinches

Yellow-throated Sparrow

Some authorities previously classified the related estrildid finches of the Old World tropics and Australasia as members of the Passeridae.^[3] Like the true sparrows, the estrildid finches are small, gregarious and often colonial seed-eaters with short, thick, but pointed bills. They are broadly similar in structure and habits, but tend to be very colourful and vary greatly in their plumage. There are about 140 species. The 2008 Christidis and Boles taxonomic scheme lists the estrildid finches as the separate family Estrildidae, leaving just the true sparrows in Passeridae.^[3]

Despite some resemblance such as the seed-eater's bill and frequently well-marked heads, American sparrows, or New World sparrows, are members of a different family, Emberizidae, which also includes the buntings. The Hedge Sparrow or Dunnock (Prunella modularis) is similarly unrelated. It is a sparrow in name only, a relict of the old practice of calling any small bird a "sparrow".

Species

This is a list of sparrow species:

• Passer, the true sparrows
  • Saxaul Sparrow, Passer ammodendri
  • House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
  • Italian Sparrow,Passer italiae
  • Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis
  • Sind Sparrow, Passer pyrrhonotus
  • Somali Sparrow, Passer castanopterus
  • Russet Sparrow, Passer rutilans
  • Plain-backed Sparrow, Passer flaveolus
  • Dead Sea Sparrow, Passer moabiticus
  • Iago Sparrow, Passer iagoensis
  • Great Sparrow, Passer motitensis
  • Kenya Sparrow, Passer rufocinctus
  • Kordofan Sparrow, Passer cordofanicus
  • Shelley's Sparrow, Passer shelleyi
  • Socotra Sparrow, Passer insularis
  • Abd al-Kuri Sparrow, Passer hemileucus
  • Cape Sparrow, Passer melanurus
  • Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Passer griseus
  • Swainson's Sparrow, Passer swainsonii
  • Parrot-billed Sparrow, Passer gongonensis
  • Swahili Sparrow, Passer suahelicus
  • Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Passer diffusus
  • Desert Sparrow, Passer simplex
  • Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus
  • Sudan Golden Sparrow, Passer luteus
  • Arabian Golden Sparrow, Passer euchlorus
  • Chestnut Sparrow, Passer eminibey
• Petronia, the petronias or rock sparrows
  • Yellow-spotted Petronia, Petronia pyrgita
  • Yellow-throated Sparrow, Petronia xanthocollis
  • Yellow-throated Petronia, Petronia superciliaris
  • Bush Petronia, Petronia dentata
  • Rock Sparrow, Petronia petronia
• Carpospiza
  • Pale Rockfinch, Carpospiza brachydactyla
• Montifringilla, the snowfinches
  • White-winged Snowfinch, Montifringilla nivalis
  • Black-winged Snowfinch, Montifringilla adamsi
  • White-rumped Snowfinch, Montifringilla taczanowskii
  • Père David's Snowfinch, Montifringilla davidiana
  • Rufous-necked Snowfinch, Montifringilla ruficollis
  • Blanford's Snowfinch, Montifringilla blanfordi
  • Afghan Snowfinch, Montifringilla theresae

Distribution

The Old World true sparrows are indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. In Australia and the Americas, early settlers imported some species which quickly naturalised, particularly in urban and degraded areas. House Sparrows, for example, are now found throughout North America, in every state of Australia except Western Australia, and over much of the heavily populated parts of South America.

See also

• Kill a sparrow campaign

References

Further reading

• Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan; Davis, John (1993). Finches and Sparrows: an Identification Guide. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-03424-9.