BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
SEARCH 

SPARROWs

Order Passeriformes    Family Passeridae


The "Old World" sparrows belong to the Passeridae family. They look similar to the "New World" sparrows which belong to the Emberizidae family.


Genus Carpospiza - 1 species

Rockfinch,_Pale  Carpospiza brachydactyla   Found: Asia
Image by: 1) Durzan_Cirano  2) Marcel_Holyoak



Genus Hypocryptadius - 1 species

Ibon,_Cinnamon  Hypocryptadius cinnamomeus  Found: Mindanao in the Philippines
Image by: 1) Herbert_Goodchild  2) Wilfredo_Kaamino



Genus Montifringilla

Snowfinch,_Afghan Montifringilla theresae  Found: Afghanistan
The male Afghan Snowfinch has mainly gray-brown plumage; some white in the wings; black face mask, throat patch. Female has mainly buff tinged brown plumage; less white in wings.
Image by: 1, 2) L_Shyamal
1) Female 2) Male


Snowfinch,_Black-winged also Tibetan Snowfinch Montifringilla adamsi  Found: China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Image by: 1) As_Kannan - India  2) Karunakar_Rayker - India   3) Imran_Shah - Pakistan


Snowfinch,_Blanford Montifringilla blanfordi  Found: China, India, Nepal, Pakistan
Image by: 1) As_Kannan - India 2) naturgucker


Snowfinch,_Henri's Montifringilla henrici  Found: Tibet
Image by: 1) Biodiversity_Heritage_Library  2) naturgucker


Snowfinch,_Pere_David's Montifringilla davidiana  Found: China, Pakistan,Mongolia,Russia
Image by: 1) Josephe_Huet 2) Vladimir_Yu - Russia 3) Sergey_Yeliseev - Russia


Snowfinch,_Rufous-necked Montifringilla ruficollis  Found: China, Pakistan, India, Nepal
Image by: 1) Dibyendu_Ash - India  2) Ross_Tsai


Snowfinch,_White-rumped Montifringilla taczanowskii  Found: Tibet, China
Image by: 1) unknown 2) Paul_Jones


Snowfinch,_White-winged   Montifringilla nivalis  Found: Europe, Asia
The White-winged Snowfinch has brown upperparts; whitish underparts; gray head; long narrow white wing panel.
Image by: 1) Andreas_Trepte  2) Pierre_Dalous - France 3) putneymark



Genus Passer

Sparrow,_Abd_al_Kuri  Passer hemileucus  Found: Abd al Kuri in Indian Ocean, off Horn of Africa
The islands Abd al Kuri and Socotra are relatively close together. The Abd al Kuri Sparrow is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Socotra Sparrow.
Image by: 1) Henrik_Gronvold


Sparrow,_Arabian_Golden  Passer euchlorus  Found: Somalia (Africa), Saudi Arabia (Asia)
Image by: 1) Henrik_Gronvold  2) Bader_Al-Qassem


Sparrow,_Cape  Passer melanurus    Found: Africa
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Dick Daniels - South Africa  8) Arno Meintjes  9)  Derek_Keats - South Africa
1, 2, 3, 4) Female  5, 6, 7, 8) Male




Sparrow,_Cape_Verde  also  Iago Sparrow  Passer iagoensis  Found: Cape Verde archipelago, off western Africa
The male Cape Verde Sparrow dark mid-crown; chestnut face; bold white underparts. Female has has brown upperparts with black marks; pale supercilium; pale gray underparts.
Image by: 1) Cabo_Verde2008  3, 3) Ivo_Antusek  4) Ze_Pinho
1) Pair 2) Female 3. 4) Male


Sparrow,_Chestnut  Passer eminibey  Found: Africa
The Chestnut Sparrow has deep chestnut plumage.   
Image by: 1) Jay Clark - Kenya  2) Francesco Veronesi - Kenya  3) Joseph Mochoge - Gilgil, Kenya


Sparrow,_Dead_Sea  Passer moabiticus  Found: Middle East (Asia)
The male Dead Sea Sparrow has dark-streaked reddish-brown upperparts; gray crown, nape, cheeks; whitish supercilium; small black bib; gray-white underparts. Female has streaked brown back; grayish head; pale supercilium; buff-white underparts; small bill.
Image by: 1, 3) Durzan_Cirano  2, 4) Marcel_Holyoak
1, 2) Female  3, 4) Male


Sparrow,_Desert  Passer simplex  Found: northern Africa, Turkmenistan (Asia)
Image by: 1) Christiaan_Kooyman  2( Francesco_Veronesi   3, 4) Brendan_Ryan - Morocco
1) Pair 2, 3) Male


Sparrow,_Eurasian Tree also Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus  Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Australia (introduced)
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow has chestnut crown;, nape; white cheeks with blaqck patch.
Similar to
: House Sparrow.  The Eurasian Tree Sparrow has black ear patch; House Sparrow does not.   
Image by: 1) Andreas Trepte 2) Laitche - Osalso, Japan  3) Karelj  4) LonelyShrimp
2) Adult of subspecies P. m. saturatus


Sparrow,_Great_Rufous also Great Sparrow Passer motitensis  Found: southern Africa
The Great (Rufous) Sparrow has rufous upperparts; gray crown, nape; great black bill. Male has small black bib.
Image by: 1, 4) Derek_Keats  2) Jerry_Oldenettel - Namibia  3) Ian_White - South Africa


Sparrow,_House Passer domesticus   Found: Africa, Asia. Introduced to North America and elsewhere.
Similar to: Eurasion Tree Sparrow.  The Eurasian Tree Sparrow has black ear patch; House Sparrow does not. 
Similar to
: Harris's Sparrow.  The House Sparrow has black or yellowish bill; Harris's Sparrow has a pink bill.   
Image by:  1) Dick - Ecuador  2, 3, 6, 7) Dick - USA  4) Ted Grussing   5) Dick Daniels - Puerto Rico   8) Dick - South Africa   9) Video by Avibirds.   More vidoes
1 - 4) Female  5 - 8) Male


Sparrow,_Italian  Passer italiae  Found: southern Europe
The male Italian Sparrow has chestnut upperparts; black patch on throat and breast; pale gray rest of underparts. Female nearly identical to female House Sparrow.
Image by: 1) Marcello_Consolo  2) characters  3) Claudio_Gennari  4) Hans_Zwitzer
1, 2) Female  3, 4) Male


Sparrow,_Kenya also Kenya Rufous Sparrow  Passer rufocinctus  Found: Kenya and Tanzania
Africa Image by: 1,  5) Sergey Yeliseev - Kenya  3, 4) Darren Bellerby - Kenya  2, 5) Dick Daniels - Kenya
1, 2) Female  3, 4, 5, 6) Male



Sparrow,_Kordofan  Passer cordofanicus  Found: Sudan, Chad
Image by: 1) hbw.com


Sparrow,_Northern Gray-headed   also  Gray-headed Sparrow  Passer griseus   Found: Africa
The Northern Gray-headed Sparrow has pale brown upperparts; gray head; chestnut wings with small white shoulder patch; whitish underparts.
Image by:  1) Dick Daniels - Tanzania   2) Dick - Kenya  3) Nik_Borrow - Caneroon


Sparrow,_Parrot-billed  Passer gongonensis  Found: Africa
The Parrot-billed Sparrow is considererd by some to be a subspecies of the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow.
Image by: 1, 2) Carol Foil - Archers Post, Rift Valley, Kenya  3) Darren Bellerby - Maasai Mara, Kenya  4) Bjørn Christian Tørrissen - Kenya  5) Peter_Steward - Kenya



Sparrow,_Plain-backed  Passer flaveolus  Found: southeast Asia, Malaysia
Image by: 1) LonelyShrimp  2) Francesco_Veronesi - Thailand 3) Ron_Knight - Thailand 


Sparrow,_Russet also Cinnamon Sparrow  Passer rutilans  Found: widely distributed across Asia
The Russet Sparrow has warm rufous upperparts; gray underparts. Male has dark rufous crown; black throat patch. Female has duller upperparts.
Image by: 1, 2) Alpsdake - Japan  3) Robin_Abraham - India  4) Ron_Knight - China


Sparrow,_Saxaul  Passer ammodendri  Found: central Asia
The Saxaul Sparrow has dull gray to sandy brown upperparts; whitish underparts; pale brown legs. Male has black stipes on head.
Image by: 1) Sabine’s_Sunbird  2) Alastair_Rae  3) Sergey_Yeliseev


Sparrow,_Shelley's  Passer shelleyi  Found: South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya
Image by: 1) Henrik_Gronvold  2) Rich_Andrews


Sparrow,_Sind  Passer pyrrhonotus  Found: south Asia
The male Sind Sparrow has gray crown; chestnut stripe running down its head behind the eye; black throat patch. Female has darker crown than other female passers.
Image by: 1) Rajiv_Lather  2) Shyamal  3) JM_Garg - India  4) Global_Bird_Watchers_Conference
1) Female 2, 3, 4) Male


Sparrow,_Socotra  Passer insularis  Found: Socotra, Samhah, and Darsah in the Indian Ocean
The islands Abd al Kuri and Socotra are relatively close together. The Abd al Kuri Sparrow is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Socotra Sparrow.
Image by: 1) Joseph_Smit


Sparrow,_Somali  Passer castanopterus  Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya  2) Paul Ellis


Sparrow,_Southern Gray-headed  Passer diffusus  Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Alan Manson - South Africa  2) Cristiano Crolle - Sossusvlei, Namibia  3) Alan_Manson


Sparrow,_Spanish  Passer hispaniolensis  Found: Meditteranean Region and Asia
The closest relative to Spanish Sparrow is the House Sparrow. They interbreed and it can be difficult to determine if a Spanish Sparrow is really a hybrid.
Image by: 1, 3) Juan Emilio     4) Frank Vassen - Lanzarote, Canary Island  5) Francesco Canu - Italy  6)  Agustin_Povedano
1, 2) Female   3) Juvenile male  4, 5, 6) Male



Sparrow,_Sudan Golden  Passer luteus  Found: Africa
The male Sudan Golden Sparrow has bright yellow head, underparts; two white wing-bars. Female has pale yellow underparts fading to whitish on underparts.
Image by: 1) Sandy Cole - National Aviary  2, 3) Dick Daniels - National Aviary


Sparrow,_Swahili  Passer suahelicus  Found: Kenya, Tanzania
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya  2) Robert Muckley  3) Jerry Friedman - Kenya


Sparrow,_Swainson's  Passer swainsonii  Found: northeastern Africa
Image by: 1) Brian_Butcher - Ethiopia  2) Sergey_Yeliseev - Ethiopia



Genus Petronia

Petronia,_Bush  Petronia dentata  Found: Africa
Image by: 1, 2) Charles_J_Sharp - Senegak
1) Females 2) Males


Petronia,_Chestnut-shouldered also Yellow-throated Sparrow  Petronia xanthocollis Found: Asia
The Chestnut-shouldered Petronia has dull gray-brown plumage; white wing-bar. Male has chestnut shoulder patch which is hard to see; pale yellow throat patch in fresh plumage. Female duller; lacks chestnut patch; yellow throat patch pale or nonexistant.
Image by: 1, 2) Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal  3) Koshy_Koshy


Petronia,_Rock also Rock Sparrow   Petronia petronia  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Rock Petronia has patterned brown upperparts; strong whitish supercilium; yellow throat patch (hard to see); streaked underparts.
Image by: 1) Agustin_Povedano  2) Sandra  3) Martien_Brand
1) Juvenile


Petronia, Yellow-spotted  Petronia pyrgita  Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Joseph Mochoge - Gilgil, Kenya  2) Dave Curtis - Kenya  3) Francesco Veronesi - Kenya  4) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia


Petronia, Yellow-throated  Petronia superciliaris  Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya   2) Derek Keats - South Africa  3) Alan Manson - South Africa  4) Johann_duPreez - South Africa






Back to Top