Birds · Passeriformes · Passeridae

Spanish Sparrow

Passer hispaniolensis

Least Concern

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

The Spanish sparrow is a close relative of the house sparrow, told apart by the breast and flanks densely streaked with black and the male's intensely chestnut crown. In Spain it breeds in large colonies in Extremadura, Andalusia, the Ebro valley and the Canary Islands, often placing its nests among the sticks of stork or raptor nests. Its winter concentrations can gather hundreds of thousands of birds.

Weight

22 g – 38 g

Size

15 cm – 16 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Temperate forest Grassland

15countries 27parks3same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt forms huge colonies in trees, with dozens of nests in one tree.
It often nests in the outer walls of the nests of white storks and large raptors: dozens of pairs build their nests among the sticks of another bird's nest, sheltered from predators thanks to the main occupant.
It hybridises with the house sparrow wherever the two overlap, and in some parts of the Mediterranean that hybridisation has given rise to stable populations of intermediate appearance.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Copses, groves beside crops, olive groves and farmland of the Mediterranean basin and western Asia
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 5 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_hispaniolensis