Sparrows

The sparrow is one of the best known birds in the world. And it is that, believe it or not, it is not a bird that only exists in Spain; it can also be found elsewhere.

If you would like to know a little more about the sparrow, in this section you will not only find information about the types of sparrow but also more information that will interest you about this animal.

Sparrow Characteristics

The sparrow, scientific name Passer domesticusIt is a well-known bird that lives in freedom. It is small in size, since can reach 14-15 centimeters in length (and about 20-25 thick).

Although these birds are easily seen both in cities and on the outskirts of cities, these birds are not known to sing. In fact, what they do is produce a melodic chirping, calm and full of harmony. However, this song is only reserved for their privacy, since it is not usual to see them singing in the branches. Specifically, it is said that it sings more at sunset and sunrise than in the rest of the day.

As for the plumage, the sparrow has a characteristic brown and cream tone, with black and white spots. However, in the lower part, the tonality is more towards gray or white. In the area of ​​the cheeks and the crown (top of the head) it can be darker.

The legs are pink or light cream in color, very small and devoid of feathers. Finally, a sparrow's beak is gray at the tip but tends to a more yellow color at the base. When they are young, their beak is very characteristic because it has some so-called "open mouths" that identify it with their breed.

types of sparrows

Did you think the sparrow was unique? The truth is that it is not so. There are some types of sparrows that you should know about since they are not the same as each other. These are:

tree sparrow

Scientific name passer montanus, It is a sparrow that usually lives in wooded and cultivated areas. He is not very given to approaching areas where there is a lot of hustle and bustle but rather they prefer to live in more rural places.

It is characterized by having a black spot surrounding the beak and extending through the area of ​​the "chin" as well as the lower part of the eyes. Also his cheeks are "colored" with that color and he has a white ring around his neck.

Spanish Sparrow

Scientific name Passer hispaniolensis, It is one of the most beautiful you can find. And it is that its plumage is based on black and white stripes on the belly and chest. It has a shiny brown crown while the wings are more cream colored.

italian sparrow

This is the Passer italy, a bird very similar to the miller, but in turn something different. Specifically, it is the one we most identify with the word, and although it is found mainly in Italy, it can also be seen in other areas of the Mediterranean.

black-throated sparrow

Known as amphispiza bilineata, has another name, striped black-throated sparrow. And it is that physically it is a light gray bird, with light brown and black wings. What stands out most about him is, without a doubt, his head, with black and white stripes. Also, the tips of their tail feathers are always white.

It is characteristic of Mexico and North America.

white crown

El Zonotrichia leucophrys It is a bird that attracts attention, especially in the part of the head. As its name indicates, the crown is striped, with black and white lines, but in the very center of the head, it has a white line.

Everything else is creamy gray and soft brown.

This bird you can find in Canada and the western United States.

Golden crown

This sparrow, which is similar to the previous one, instead of having a white stripe in the center of its head, what it has is a yellow line while, on both sides, it is black. The rest of its head is gray while its body is more brown with spots in different shades (the area of ​​the wings).

It lives mostly from Mexico to Alaska.

savannah sparrow

The Ammodramus savannarum is a songbird that lives in the United States, Canada, and the Antilles. Brown and gray in color, it has stripes on the back and on the chest but perhaps what attracts the most attention are the black feathers on the tail.

Alpine Montifringilla nivalis

El Montifringilla nivalis It is a bird that, instead of the characteristic brown, is more grey, reserving that brown color only for the wings. On the other hand, it has White tail except for the central feathers, which are black.

This can be found in the Pyrenees, the Cantabrian Mountains, the Alps, the Himalayas... which already makes us intuit that it is a bird of high altitude areas (from 1600 meters above sea level).

screech sparrow

Scientific name petronia petronia, is a bird that is not at all like the other types of sparrows. And it is that this bird is cream or pale brown in color with a yellow spot in the throat area. Also above the eyes it has a little spot of that same color, it seems that it has eyebrows. It lives in the area of ​​Africa, Asia and Europe, specifically in mountainous and rocky areas.

chipping sparrow

Better known as the Common Chimbito or White-browed Sparrow, it is a brownish-brown bird but what most attracts attention is the top of his head, which is bright red. He lives in the Americas area.

The feeding of the sparrows

The sparrow's diet is quite diverse. On the one hand, they eat insects, since it is the usual food that they are provided with since they were little. However, when there is a shortage of food, they eat seeds or even, if they live in populated areas, when food they find on the ground: breadcrumbs, fruits, grasses, etc.

Discover more about sparrows in the articles that you can find in this category. Thus, you will know more about this species of bird.