World Environment Day special - Sparrows of India
Sparrows are very familiar for all of us. They are relatively a small bird. ‘Passer’ is the genus of sparrows and is the Latin word for them. There are many species of sparrows. Here is the list of all the sparrows.
House Sparrow-
House sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. Bring a small bird, it has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are colored pale brown and grey and males have brighter black, white and brown markings. This bird is strongly associated with Human habitation. They can be saily spotted near urban and rural settings.
Sind Sparrow-
Sind sparrow is also known as a Jungle sparrow. They are very similar to House Sparrow. They are found around Indus Valley. Sind sparrow is slightly smaller than House sparrow. The Sind sparrow’s chirping chup call is softer, less strident and higher pitched than that of the house sparrow.
Eurasian Sparrow-
This sparrow is also known as a tree sparrow. We can find this sparrow across Europe Asia and Southeast Asia. The tree sparrow is predominantly a seed and grain-eating bird which feeds on the ground in flocks, often with house sparrows, finches or buntings. It feeds on weed seeds such as chickweeds and goosefoot, spilled grain and it may also visit feeding stations especially for peanuts.
Spanish Sparrow-
Spanish Sparrow is a large sparrow which has 15 to 16 cms height. It can be seen across Africa, Europe, Asia, Mediterranean region, and India. It feeds principally on the seeds of grains and other grass, also eating leaves, fruits, and other plant materials. This sparrow also looks like Huse sparrow.
Russet Sparrow-
Russet Sparrow is also called as a Cinnamon sparrow. This sparrow feeds mainly on the seeds of herbs and grains but it also eats berries and insects, particularly during the breeding season. This diet makes it a minor pest in agricultural areas, but also a predator of insect pests. This sparrow is found in the Himalayan region, China, India and eastern Asian countries.
Chestnut-Shouldered Sparrow-
This sparrow is also called as a yellow-throated sparrow. Male Chestnut Shouldered sparrows have a chestnut shoulder patcTurkey, can sometimes be hard to see. They also have a pale yellow spot on the throat in fresh plumage. It is found in Turkey ,Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and as a vagrant in Sri Lanka.