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24

Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) German name(s): "Steinsperling", "Steinsperling-petronia" Size: 14-16 cm Weight: 26-39 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Rock Sparrows are small, but sturdily-built finch-like birds. Their plumage is cryptic and the two sexes look alike. Their head pattern, with a pale median crown stripe, dark-brown stripes next to that, contrasting against a creamy supercilium and again a dark eye-stripe on the upper fringe of the ear coverts, is more similar to those of various species of buntings, rather than other species of sparrows. However, the large, conical bill is more finch-like, rather than bunting-style. The front is heavily streaked olive-grey on off-white, while the back and wings are variegated brown/dark-grey. The irises are dark; legs and feet are greyish-orange. Juvenile Rock Sparrows have a paler, more orange-brown crown than adults and an entirely horn-coloured bill .

Taxonomy, classification See Rock Sparrow at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Spanish Sparrow is available HERE . There are 7 extant races of Rock Sparrows, with a combined range spanning from Madeira, the Canary Islands, north-western Africa and Iberia in the West, via Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East and south-western Asia, to Mongolia and central and north-eastern China in the East. In the western part of their range they are sedentary, while the Asian populations tend to migrate, either North-South or down to lower elevation in winter. In Europe, Rock Sparrows, race "petronia", are found in large parts of Iberia, in south-western France, southern Italy, southern Greece and the major western Mediterranean islands, i.e. the Balearic island group, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily. As their name suggests, Rock Sparrows have a strong preference for any kind of rocky or stony habitat, such as rock faces or ravines in mountainous terrain or wadis, rocky (semi-)desert at lower elevations. They also use quarries or ruins and even occupied buildings, as long as there are rock/wall surfaces with cracks.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "petronia" J. Pires reports spotting Rock Sparrows, race "petronia", regularly in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal. Others were found, e.g., at Badajoz, Spain, in November 2021. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

Race "petronia"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Rock Sparrow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Rock Sparrow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

Lateral view of a Rock Sparrow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Rock Sparrow looking backwards (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Rock Sparrow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Two Rock Sparrows (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

Flock of huddling Rock Sparrows (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Rock Sparrow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Badajoz, Spain, November 2021]

Lateral view of a juvenile Rock Sparrow; note the pale cap and bill (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2018]

Small group of Rock Sparrows, with a juvenile at top right (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2018]

Behaviour

Rock Sparrows are very sociable birds and are often found in - possibly very large - flocks.

Small group of Rock Sparrows preening collectively (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Portugal, March 2019]

Food, Diet

Rock Sparrows are mostly seed-eaters, but they will also take fruit and also invertebrates, which they also feed to their young.

Rock Sparrows feeding in grain stubble (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2014]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

rockspr_jp_20200515.m4a	petronia (Portugal)	Begging calls(?) juvenile + bkgd	© JP
rockspr_jp_20180603.m4a	petronia (Portugal)	?	© JP

More Rock Sparrow sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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