Sparrow

The sparrows, true sparrows, or Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae are small passerine birds. As eight or more species nest in or near buildings, and the House Sparrow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow in particular inhabit cities in large numbers, sparrows may be the most familiar of all wild birds.

Description
Generally, sparrows tend to be small, plump brown-grey birds with short tails and stubby, 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 pigeons, will happily eat virtually anything in small quantities. Members of this family range in size from the Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey), at 11.4 cm and 13.4 g, to the Parrot-billed Sparrow (Passer gongonensis), at 18 cm and 42 g. Sparrows are physically similar to other seed-eating birds, such as finches, but have a vestigial dorsal outer primary feather and an extra bone in the tongue.

Behaviour
The passerids are seed-eating birds, many being associated with humans, such as the House Sparrow. House Sparrow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, in North America, live in small flocks. They are often seen on or near the ground, where feeding typically occurs; many species are gregarious, and some are abundant.

Several species have flourished in human-influenced habitats, and many are tame and approachable; many species, such as the Passer species, enjoy commensal relationships with humans. In its native range, however; the House Sparrow is long regarded as a textbook example of beneficiary of human activity, is currently in sharp decline in parts of its native range.

Apart from the White-winged Snowfinch, which extends its range into western Europe, the snowfinches are birds of extensive plateaulands of central and western China, and are among the highest-nesting of all birds, since they occur at altitudes ranging from 1800 - 4600 m.

Taxonomy
Some authorities previously classified the related estrildid finches of the Old World tropics and Australasia as members of the Passeridae. Like 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 colourful and vary greatly in their plumage. There are about 140 species. The 2008 Christidis and Boles taxonomic scheme lists the estrildid finches as the separate family Estrildidae, leaving just the true sparrows in Passeridae.

Despite some resemblance such as the seed-eater's bill and frequently well-marked heads, American sparrows, or New World sparrows, are members of a different family, Emberizidae, which formerly included the buntings. The Hedge Sparrow or Dunnock (Prunella modularis) is similarly unrelated.

Species
This is a list of sparrow species:


 * Genus Hypocryptadius
 * Cinnamon Ibon, Hypocryptadius cinnamomeus


 * Genus Carpospiza
 * Pale Rockfinch, Carpospiza brachydactyla


 * Genus Petronia
 * Rock Sparrow, Petronia petronia


 * Genus Onychostruthus
 * White-rumped Snowfinch, Montifringilla taczanowskii


 * Genus Montifringilla
 * Henri's Snowfinch, Montifringilla henrici
 * White-winged Snowfinch, Montifringilla nivalis
 * Tibetan Snowfinch, Montifringilla adamsi


 * Genus Pyrgilauda
 * Rufous-necked Snowfinch, Pyrgilauda ruficollis
 * Pere David's Snowfinch, Pyrgilauda davidiana
 * Blanford's Snowfinch, Pyrgilauda blanfordi
 * Afghan Snowfinch, Pyrgilauda theresae


 * Genus Gymnoris, the petronias or rock sparrows
 * Sahel Bush-Sparrow / Bush Petronia, Gymnoris dentata
 * Yellow-throated Bush-Sparrow / Yellow-throated Petronia, Gymnoris superciliaris
 * Chestnut-shouldered Bush-Sparrow / Yellow-throated Sparrow, Gymnoris xanthocollis
 * Yellow-spotted Bush-Sparrow / Yellow-spotted Petronia, Gymnoris pyrgita


 * Genus Passer, the true sparrows
 * Saxaul Sparrow, Passer ammodendri
 * House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
 * Italian Sparrow,Passer italiae
 * Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis
 * Sind Sparrow, Passer pyrrhonotus
 * Somali Sparrow, Passer castanopterus
 * Russet Sparrow, Passer rutilans
 * Plain-backed Sparrow, Passer flaveolus
 * Dead Sea Sparrow, Passer moabiticus
 * Iago Sparrow, Passer iagoensis
 * Great Sparrow, Passer motitensis
 * Kenya Sparrow, Passer rufocinctus
 * Shelley's Sparrow, Passer shelleyi
 * Kordofan Sparrow, Passer cordofanicus
 * Socotra Sparrow, Passer insularis
 * Abd al-Kuri Sparrow, Passer hemileucus
 * Cape Sparrow, Passer melanurus
 * Northern 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
 * Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus
 * Sudan Golden-Sparrow, Passer luteus
 * Arabian Golden-Sparrow, Passer euchlorus
 * Chestnut Sparrow, Passer eminibey
 * Chestnut Sparrow, Passer eminibey

Distribution
The sparrows are indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. In Australia and the Americas, early settlers imported some species which quickly naturalised, particularly in urban and degraded areas. House Sparrows, 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.