Plain-backed Sparrow (Passer flaveolus)

OTHER NAMES: Pegu Sparrow, Olive-backed Sparrow
Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") flaveolus ("golden yellow") 

Adult female Plain-backed Sparrow (Passer flaveolus) near Siem Reap, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A 
Weight: 17-23g  /  Length: 14cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Plain-backed Sparrow is a species that looks kind of like a House Sparrow that has had all the patterning softed out to create a much more smooth looking bird.  It's a rural bird of open areas with limited trees, or in the case of the few birds where we saw, electricity pylons which they seemed to enjoy using as vantage points.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer name: ចាបស្រុក
A fairly common resident.

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - Two seen near outskirts of Siem Reap

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae)

OTHER NAMES: Cisalpine Sparrow
Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") italiae ("Italian")

Adult Male Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae) at Catania, Sicily, Italy - May 2018

Local Name (Italian): Passera d'Italia ("Italian Sparrow")
Weight: 30g  /  Length: 14-16cm  /  Wingspan: 19-25-cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Italian Sparrow is a prime example of where taxonomy gets messy and it's only recently any sort of consensus seems to have settled down.  The general opinion now is that it is a species formed of a stable hybrid between House and Spanish sparrows that has become it's own species.  As such they are intermediate between those two species.  To further confuse matters, the birds on Sicily are highly variable, with many looking far more like Spanish Sparrows than the typical mainland birds.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

ITALY - An abundant resident

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP -  Very common throughout.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)

OTHER NAMES: Willow Sparrow

Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") hispaniolensis ("Spanish")

                                       Male Spanish Sparrow (subspecies P. h. hispaniolensis) at Laguna Campillo, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis

Weight: 22-36g  /  Length: 15-16cm  /  Wingspan: 23-26cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern 

Despite the name, this is a species found over a wide range from Iberia to Central Asia and a close relation of the House Sparrow.  However, in comparison to that species, they are considerably less accustomed to human presence, being far more rural to the point of even generally avoiding human buildings.  I saw small numbers in several locations on my second trip to Madrid, but generally they seemed to be associated with the borders of grassland and trees.  The female is basically indistinguishable from that of the House Sparrow, but the very black streaked chest makes the male distinctive.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
Subspecies: P. h. hispaniolensis, P. h. transcaspicus 

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Gorrión Moruno - ("Moorish Sparrow")

Widespread but local resident in rural habitats, often associating with House Sparrow.

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Navaseca (1 male), Monfrague (3 males) and Rivas Vaciamadrid (1 male).  Females may have been present, but are indistinguishable from female House Sparrow in the field.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

OTHER NAMES: Tree Sparrow

Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") montanus ("of the mountains")

Adult Eurasian Tree Sparrow (subspecies P. m. saturatus) at Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens, Kyoto, Japan - June 2013

Featured Subspecies: Passer montaus saturatus
Weight: 24g  /  Length: 12-14cm  /  Wingspan: 21cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Tree Sparrow is the rarer cousin of the near omnipresent house sparrow with a patchy distribution and generally quite rare. It is apparently just as widely spread as the house sparrow outside of Britain, but elsewhere it is far more localized in occurrence. I've seen them at Rutland Water and in hedgerows in Geddington. Since I originally photographed this one, interestingly they seem to be increasing their numbers near me.  In East Asia, including Japan and Malaysia, it replaces the house sparrow as the common urban sparrow species, and is found widely in inner city environments.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passidae
Genus: Passer
Subspecies: P. m. montanus, P. m. transcaucasicus, P. m. dilutus, P. m. dybowskii, P. m. kansuensis, P. m. iubilaeus, P. m. obscuratus, P. m. saturatus, P. m. malaccensis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An localised resident breeding species (200,000 territories) - subspecies P. m. montanus

 - Seen at Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir and in some years, Geddington.

CAMBODIA - Khmer Name:  ចាបផ្ទះ ("House Sparrow")

A common urban resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: seen around  Siem Reap,

JAPAN - Japanese - スズメ / Suzume ("Sparrow")

Abundant resident - one of the most common urban birds.

 - KYOTO 2013 TRIP: Commonly throughout, seen in Kyoto and at Arashiyama. 

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Seen in Central Tokyo.

ITALY - Italian - Passero Mattugio ("Morning Sparrow")

A widespread resident

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP - Seen on Capo Murro di Porco 

MALAYSIA - Malay - Ciak Rumah ("House Cheep")

A locally common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A common resident of Kuala Lumpur and Malacca

SINGAPORE - A  common resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen in a number of locations throughout. 

SPAIN - Spanish - Gorrión molinero ("Miller Sparrow")

A reasonably common resident,

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen near Laguna Campillo.
       
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

OTHER NAMES: Sparrow, English Sparrow

Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") domesticus ("of the house")

Adult male and female House Sparrows (subspecies P. d. domesticusi) at Geddington, Northants - January 2022

Featured Subspecies: Passer domesticus domesticus
Weight: 24-40g  /  Length: 14-18cm  /  Wingspan: 19-25cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the most common birds in Britain, and indeed, the most widely distributed bird species on earth - though oddly enough, the hardest places to see them are now inner-city areas where they are suffering massive declines. Living in a village however, they remain one of the most common birds in my area, and usually found in decent sized flocks in most hedges and shrub-areas. Primarily a seed eating bird, in Europe they are fairly ubiquitous, though in Asia the Tree-Sparrow replaces them as the common City Sparrow.  In North America they are an invasive feral species that has been massively successful, often at the expense of native birds.

Further Information:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
Subspecies: P. d. domesticus, P. d. balearoibericus, P. d. tingitanus, P. d. niloticus, P. d. persicus, P. d. biblicus, P. d. hyrcanus, P. d. bactrianus, P. d. parkini, P. d. indicus, P. d. hufufae, P. d. rufidorsalis  

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Abundant breeding species (5,300,000 pairs)

 - A common resident seen at locations including Geddington, Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir and Rainham Marshes

SPAIN - Spanish - Gorrión común ("Common Sparrow")

Breeding resident.  

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: Seen at El Rocio and Seville

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Seen in Madrid        

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen in Madrid  

UNITED STATES 
Invasive species found over entire Lower 48 and Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Monterey           

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, Wikipedia, RSPB, Xeno-canto

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