Sparrow

Sparrow is the common name for various small passerine (perching) birds applied either to various members of the Old World family Passeridae ("true sparrows") or the American sparrows, or New World sparrows, within the family Emberizidae. (In some classifications, the American sparrows are placed within the finch family Fringillidae.) The American sparrows are not closely related to the true sparrows, despite some physical resemblance, such as the seed-eater's bill and frequently well-marked heads.

The sparrows, with their unique forms, behaviors, and songs, add an important component to the joy that humans feel in experiencing nature. In the original sense of the term as any small bird, the sparrow also appears in the New Testament of the Bible as an apt metaphor for the importance that God places on human beings. Jesus reassures his followers that even a sparrow cannot fall without God's notice (Luke 12:6; Mathew 10:29), telling them "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Classification and description

Sparrows, whether the term is used for the Old World birds or the New World species, belong to the order Passeriformes, the largest order of birds, with more than half of all species. The passerines are true perching birds, being specialized for holding onto a branch, with three toes directed forward without any webbing or joining, and one toe directed backward. In other orders of birds, the toe arrangement is different. The order includes such birds as finches, warblers, and jays. The group gets its name from the Latin name for the house sparrow, Passer domesticus. Passerines are all terrestrial, found on all continents except Antarctica. Most passerines lay colored eggs, in contrast to non-passerines, where the color generally is white, with some exceptions.

Sparrows belong to the passerine suborder Passeri, and thus are known as "songbirds" or "oscines." In the oscines, the vocal organ is developed in such a way as to produce various sound notes, commonly known as bird song. Oscines have the most control of their syrinx muscles among birds, producing a wide range of songs and other vocalizations (though some of them, such as the crows, do not sound like it, while others like the Lyrebird are accomplished imitators). Besides the sparrows, song birds include lyrebirds, blackbirds, jays, larks, warblers, finches, wrens, starlings, and cowbirds.

Within the Passeri and superfamily Passeroidea, there are various families, two of which are Passeridae (true sparrows) and Emberizidae (buntings and American sparrows). The American sparrows, which are not closely related to the Old World sparrows, have habits similar to those of finches, which comprise the family Fringillidae within the same superfamily. Older sources may place some emberizids in the Fringillidae (traditionally grouped as the subfamily Emberizinae), and the common names of some emberizids still refer to them as finches.

The Hedge Sparrow or Dunnock (Prunella modularis) is unrelated to either group, being in the passerine family Prunellidae. It is a sparrow in name only, a relic of the old practice of calling any small bird a "sparrow."

Old World sparrows

Old World sparrows

House Sparrow

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Passeridae Illiger, 1811

Genera

Passer
Petronia
Carpospiza
Montifringilla

The true sparrows, the Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae, are small passerine birds. Generally, sparrows tend to be small, plump brown-gray birds with short tails and stubby yet powerful beaks. The differences between sparrow species can be subtle. They are primarily seed-eaters, though they also consume small insects. A few species scavenge for food around cities and, like gulls or rock pigeons, will happily eat virtually anything in small quantities. This family ranges in size from the Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey), at 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) and 13.4 g., to the Parrot-billed Sparrow (Passer gongonensis), at 18 cm (7 inches) and 42 g. (1.5 oz).

The Old World true sparrows are found indigenously in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In Australia and the Americas, early settlers imported some species, which quickly naturalized, particularly in urban and degraded areas. House sparrows (Passer domesticus), for example, are now found throughout North America, in every state of Australia except Western Australia, and over much of the heavily populated parts of South America. House sparrows were misnamed English sparrows, to distinguish them from native fauna, but are not particularly a native of England (Zim and Gabrielson 1956).

Some authorities also classify the closely related estrildid finches of the equatorial regions and Australasia as members of the Passeridae. Like the true sparrows, the estrildid finches are small, gregarious, and often colonial seed-eaters with short, thick, but pointed bills. They are broadly similar in structure and habits, but tend to be very colorful and vary greatly in their plumage. About 140 species are native to the Old World tropics and Australasia. Most taxonomic schemes list the estrildid finches as the separate family Estrildidae, leaving just the true sparrows in Passeridae.

Species of Old World sparrows

There are 35 species of Old World sparrows. Below is the full list.

Passer, the true sparrows
- Saxaul Sparrow, Passer ammodendri
- House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
- Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis
- Sind Sparrow, Passer pyrrhonotus
- Somali Sparrow, Passer castanopterus
- Cinnamon Sparrow or Russet Sparrow, Passer rutilans
- Pegu Sparrow or Plain-backed Sparrow, Passer flaveolus
- Dead Sea Sparrow, Passer moabiticus
- Rufous Sparrow, Passer motitensis
- Socotra Sparrow, Passer insularis
- Iago Sparrow or Cape Verde Sparrow, Passer iagoensis
- Cape Sparrow or Mossie, Passer melanurus
- Grey-headed Sparrow, Passer griseus
- Swainson's Sparrow, Passer swainsonii
- Parrot-billed Sparrow, Passer gongonensis
- Swahili Sparrow, Passer suahelicus
- Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Passer diffusus
- Desert Sparrow, Passer simplex
- Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus
- Sudan Golden Sparrow, Passer luteus
- Arabian Golden Sparrow, Passer euchlorus
- Chestnut Sparrow, Passer eminibey
- Italian Sparrow, Passer italiae
- Kenya Rufous Sparrow, Passer rufocinctus
- Kordofan Rufous Sparrow, Passer cordofanicus
- Shelley's Rufous Sparrow, Passer shelleyi
- Asian Desert Sparrow, Passer zarudnyi
Petronia, the rock sparrows
- Yellow-spotted Petronia, Petronia pyrgita
- Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Petronia xanthocollis
- Yellow-throated Petronia, Petronia superciliaris
- Bush Petronia, Petronia dentata
- Rock Sparrow, Petronia petronia
Carpospiza, Pale Rockfinch
- Pale Rockfinch, Carpospiza brachydactyla
Montifringilla, the snowfinches
- White-winged Snowfinch, Montifringilla nivalis
- Black-winged Snowfinch, Montifringilla adamsi
- White-rumped Snowfinch, Montifringilla taczanowskii
- Père David's Snowfinch, Montifringilla davidiana
- Rufous-necked Snowfinch, Montifringilla ruficollis
- Blanford's Snowfinch, Montifringilla blanfordi
- Afghan Snowfinch, Montifringilla theresae
- Tibetan Snowfinch, Montifringilla henrici

American sparrows or New World sparrows

American Sparrows

American Tree Sparrow

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Emberizidae

Genera

see text

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns.

Although they share the name sparrow, American sparrows are more closely related to Old World buntings (family Emberizidae) than they are to the Old World sparrows (family Passeridae). American sparrows are also similar in both appearance and habit to finches, with which they sometimes used to be classified.

Species of American sparrows

Genus Arremon

Orange-billed Sparrow, Arremon aurantiirostris
Pectoral Sparrow, Arremon taciturnus
San Francisco Sparrow, Arremon franciscanus
Half-collared Sparrow, Arremon semitorquatus
Golden-winged Sparrow, Arremon schlegeli
Black-capped Sparrow, Arremon abeillei
Saffron-billed Sparrow, Arremon flavirostris

Genus Arremonops

Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus
Tocuyo Sparrow, Arremonops tocuyensis
Green-backed Sparrow, Arremonops chloronotus
Black-striped Sparrow, Arremonops conirostris

Genus Melozone

Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow, Melozone kieneri
Prevost's Ground-Sparrow, Melozone biarcuatum
White-eared Ground-Sparrow, Melozone leucotis

Genus Pipilo

Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus
Collared Towhee, Pipilo ocai
Rufous-sided Towhees:
- Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  - Olive-backed Towhee, Pipilo maculatus macronyx
Socorro Towhee, Pipilo socorroensis
Brown Towhees:
- California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis
- Canyon Towhee, Pipilo fuscus
Abert's Towhee, Pipilo aberti
White-throated Towhee, Pipilo albicollis

Genus Aimophila

Bridled Sparrow, Aimophila mystacalis
Black-chested Sparrow, Aimophila humeralis
Stripe-headed Sparrow, Aimophila ruficauda
Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow, Aimophila sumichrasti
Stripe-capped Sparrow, Aimophila strigiceps
Tumbes Sparrow, Aimophila stolzmanni
Bachman's Sparrow, Aimophila aestivalis
Botteri's Sparrow, Aimophila botterii
Cassin's Sparrow, Aimophila cassinii
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Aimophila ruficeps
Rufous-winged Sparrow, Aimophila carpalis
Five-striped Sparrow, Aimophila quinquestriata
Oaxaca Sparrow, Aimophila notosticta
Rusty Sparrow, Aimophila rufescens

Genus Oriturus

Striped Sparrow, Oriturus superciliosus

Genus Torreornis

Zapata Sparrow, Torreornis inexpectata

Genus Spizella

American Tree Sparrow, Spizella arborea
Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina
Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida
Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri
- Timberline Sparrow, Spizella breweri taverneri
Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla
Worthen's Sparrow, Spizella wortheni
Black-chinned Sparrow, Spizella atrogularis

Genus Pooecetes

Vesper Sparrow, Pooecetes gramineus

Genus Chondestes

Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus

Genus Amphispiza

Black-throated Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata
Sage Sparrow, Amphispiza belli

Genus Calamospiza

Lark Bunting, Calamospiza melanocorys

Genus Passerculus

Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
- Ipswich Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis princeps
Large-billed Sparrow, Passerculus rostratus

Genus Ammodramus

Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus
- Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens (extinct, 1987)
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus
Le Conte's Sparrow, Ammodramus leconteii
Henslow's Sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii
Baird's Sparrow, Ammodramus bairdii
Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum
Grassland Sparrow, Ammodramus humeralis
Yellow-browed Sparrow, Ammodramus aurifrons

Genus Passerella

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca
- Red Fox Sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) iliaca
- Sooty Fox Sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) unalaschcensis
- Slate-colored Fox Sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) schistacea
- Thick-billed Fox Sparrow, Passerella (iliaca) megarhyncha

Genus Xenospiza

Sierra Madre Sparrow, Xenospiza baileyi

Genus Melospiza

Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii
Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana

Genus Zonotrichia

White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
Rufous-collared Sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis
Harris's Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula

Genus Junco

Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis
Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus
Guadalupe Junco, Junco insularis
Volcano Junco, Junco vulcani

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Byers, C., U. Olsson, and J. Curson. 1995. Buntings and Sparrows: A Guide to the Buntings and North American sparrows. Mountfield, Nr. Robertsbridge, East Sussex: Pica Press. ISBN 1873403194
Clement, P., A. Harris, and J. Davis. 1993. Finches & Sparrows: An Identification Guide. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0713680172
Zim, H. S., and I. N. Gabrielson. 1956. Birds: A Guide to the Most Familiar American Birds. New York: Golden Press.

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