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UrbanCavity nestSmall · 28 g
What the Italian Sparrow sounds like
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Italian Sparrow
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Italian Sparrow
The map shades 13 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Spain, Germany, Romania, Netherlands.
About the Italian Sparrow
The Italian sparrow, also known as the cisalpine sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean region. In appearance, it is intermediate between the house sparrow, and the Spanish sparrow, a species of the Mediterranean and Central Asia closely related to the house sparrow. The Italian sparrow occurs in northern Italy and neighbouring regions, with intermediates with the house sparrow in a very narrow contact zone in the Alps, a slow gradation in appearance from the Italian to Spanish sparrows across central and southern Italy, and more birds of intermediate appearance in Malta, Crete, and other parts of the Mediterranean.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseusThe northern grey-headed sparrow, 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.
Russet SparrowPasser cinnamomeusThe russet sparrow is a small chunky bird, with plumage warm rufous in overall colour.
Plain-backed SparrowPasser flaveolusThe plain-backed sparrow, also called the Pegu sparrow or olive-backed sparrow, is a sparrow found in Southeast Asia.
Side by side: Italian Sparrow vs Rock Sparrow · Italian Sparrow vs Russet Sparrow
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