An unusual sparrow photographed by Allan Chard on 30 March
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| 30-03-19 Sparrow sp with m House Sparrow- see note below, Fishponds (Allan Chard) |
Could this be an Italian Sparrow? The obvious differences are that it has very rich chestnut
coloured plumage and a very white face. Obviously, the bird’s crown has a strong grey tinge but this is is perfectly normal for Italian Sparrows in winter. However, these grey fringes eventually wear off,
leaving the crown a chestnut-brown colour. Unlike most passerines, sparrows have only one body moult a year but, instead, the feather fringes gradually wear off to expose the rich chestnut on the basal parts of the feathers
The Italian Sparrow is generally thought to be a stable hybrid between the House Sparrow and the Spanish Sparrow, which breeds mainly in parts of Spain and much more commonly in North Africa. In a recent paper, however, some Norwegian scientists recommended that it should be treated as a full species in its own right
coloured plumage and a very white face. Obviously, the bird’s crown has a strong grey tinge but this is is perfectly normal for Italian Sparrows in winter. However, these grey fringes eventually wear off,
leaving the crown a chestnut-brown colour. Unlike most passerines, sparrows have only one body moult a year but, instead, the feather fringes gradually wear off to expose the rich chestnut on the basal parts of the feathers
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| Italian Sparrow (Larsfoto) |
The Spanish Sparrow for comparison, darker chest and white eye-stripe
There was a bird like this last year in Budleigh in Devon and I went down to see it. That bird was seen by lots of people. It seems quite likely that both the Budleigh bird and Allan's bird would have come off ships, but this shouldn’t preclude them from being accepted as wild birds.
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| Spanish Sparrow (Wikipedia) |
Keith Vinicombe
Edited by Avonbirds
Postscript: The preliminary investigation into the DNA of the Budleigh bird suggested that it wasn't, after all, an Italian sparrow. See investigation here. The photo on this post looks very similar to the Fishponds individual.
Edited by Avonbirds
Postscript: The preliminary investigation into the DNA of the Budleigh bird suggested that it wasn't, after all, an Italian sparrow. See investigation here. The photo on this post looks very similar to the Fishponds individual.
