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
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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 Similar to: House Sparrow. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow has black ear patch; House Sparrow does not.
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 vidoesSimilar to: Harris's Sparrow. The House Sparrow has black or yellowish bill; Harris's Sparrow has a pink bill.
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
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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
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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
