Italian Sparrow
Passer italiae
The Italian sparrow is a small chunky bird, with grey and brown plumage. The sexes differ in their plumage pattern, and slightly in length. The male has a head patterned like that of the Spanish sparrow, with a chestnut crown, nape and sides of head, and white cheeks. The male's upperparts are bright chestnut, and its underparts are pale grey, lacking the black streaking of the Spanish sparrow. The male has a black patch on its throat and chest, known as a bib or badge. This patch, like much of the male's plumage is dull in fresh non-breeding plumage and is brightened by wear and preening.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rock Sparrow
Petronia petronia
The rock sparrow is 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in) in length, on average slightly larger a house sparrow, and with a conspicuously larger, more conical bill. It has a strong whitish supercilium and weaker crown stripe. It has a patterned brown back and wings, streaked underparts, and a diagnostic, but hard-to-see, yellow throat spot. It is largely monochromatic, with a distinctive yellow patch on their upper breast that starkly contrasts the earth tones of their plumage.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Italian Sparrow and Rock Sparrow.