Rock Sparrow

• GeneralIt nests in holes in stonework and in crevices; its song is a repeated nasal wheeze.
• Its call, a nasal, rising, very penetrating shriek, gives it away long before it is seen, and in the Spanish sierras it is one of the characteristic sounds of cliffs and ruins.
• The yellow throat patch is its only distinguishing feature from house sparrows, and it is often hidden: the best way to identify it is by voice.
• It is in decline across much of Europe because of the abandonment of farm buildings and the renovation of old buildings, which seals up the crevices where it used to breed.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Rocky outcrops, crags, ruins, cliffs and sunny stony slopes of the Mediterranean basin and Asia

Sexual maturity

12 months

Gestation / incubation

12 days of incubation

Litter / clutch size

5 eggs

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Petronia petronia