Birds · Passeriformes · Passeridae

Rock Sparrow

Petronia petronia

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The rock sparrow, also called in Spanish gorrión chillón, gorrión roquero, chirla, chilandre or chilandra, is a species of passerine bird of the family Passeridae native to Eurasia and Africa. It looks like a female house sparrow because of its dull, pale plumage. The male has a yellow patch on the throat that sometimes goes unnoticed. Above each eye it has a cream stripe and a dark one just above that. The bill is large and adapted to its seed-eating diet.

Weight

25 g – 39 g

Size

14 cm – 17 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertMountainGrasslandOmnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Desert Mountain Grassland

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Fun facts

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.