Spanish Sparrow
Willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis ), male
The willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis ) is a common in the Mediterranean and temperate parts of South Asia type of sparrows. It is closely related to the House Sparrow, with whom he also often propagated hybrids and brings forth the characteristics of both species show and correspond in appearance to the Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae ).
It can be distinguished depending on the author two or three subspecies.
Appearance
The willow sparrow reaches a height of six inches. The males weigh on average 28.3 grams, 28.1 grams of the females. The wingspan is 23 to 26 centimeters.
The male willow sparrow must be identified by a broader compared to the house sparrow black on the chest and a brown cap. His flanks show a black Strichelzeichnung. Even the back is striped; this striation is also recognizable in the female, which is not generally difficult to distinguish from the female house sparrow. Sometimes diving willow sparrows attention as vagrants in Central Europe.
The Mauser through adult willow sparrows about a month after hatching, the young birds about a month after the date of fledging becoming. The moult is completed in about 65 days.
Distribution and habitat
The distribution area of willow sparrow stretches across the north of Africa and southern Europe via Kazakhstan to Afghanistan. Willow sparrows come also before in the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands and Madeira.
In Europe it breeds primarily in Spain south of the Ebro, the Balkans and in most Mediterranean islands. On the Balkan Peninsula he comes since a few years ago in the humid temperate zone. The Balkan populations are predominantly short- distance migrants with wintering areas in the North African coasts and in certain areas oasis of the Sahara, while the Spanish willow sparrows are resident birds for the most part. The Spanish pastures Sperling, who go to North Africa, usually in small numbers cross the Strait of Gibraltar. They left Europe late September to early October and then drag along the west coast of Morocco. The willow sparrows bred in the North East of the Mediterranean region, typically feed into the Nile Valley. You stay there from September to April on. In contrast, the north-west Africa brooding willow sparrow show a very irregular migratory behavior. They overwinter mostly in the transition region of the Sahara and in the inland country of Algeria as well as in Südlybien. However, some populations are mostly non-migratory birds who roam nomadic in order to tap into sources of food.
The willow sparrow is a breeding bird of the temperate summer dry steppe and desert regions. He settled predominantly open, often mountainous regions, where there is near water. It is found in thickets, on scrubby terrain, in copses and orchards, fig, palm and eucalyptus plantations. Also in wadis on afforestation with French Tamarisk, oases, Schwemmflächen, reeds, along drainage ditches and hedges next to corn fields is the Willow Sparrow to find.
Way of life
Willow sparrow are very gregarious birds all year round. They nest in large colonies and are looking outside the breeding season in flocks for food, which may include thousands of individuals. The swarms are greater, the more food is available. However, they are sometimes individually or in pairs to observe and small groups of ten to 200 birds. Outside the breeding season they are occasionally associated with finch, house sparrow and the sparrow desert. Fledged willow sparrow regularly train their own flocks, which also wander far in search of food. During the resting phase willow sparrows sit in often densely packed trees and shrubs. They leave their resting place at sunrise, they circle above the first resting place before they left it. Return to these resting places around the time of the sunset back.
In the regions in which its range overlaps with the house sparrow, the willow sparrow is a rather shy bird that flies up in case of failure immediately. Where the house sparrow, however, is missing, the willow sparrow is much more familiar and also occurs in inner-city areas. His food he finds mostly on the ground. He also examines the foliage of shrubs and trees for insects.
Food
Willow sparrows primarily eat grass and cereal seeds. Among others are eaten by them wheat, oats, barley and millet. They also take young leaves and fruits and insects to him. The nestlings are fed mainly large insect larvae, but sometimes young leaves, freshly sprouted plants and soft seeds.
Reproduction
Willow sparrows usually go a monogamous couple relationship, it is so far not known whether the couple's relationship is longer than for a breeding attempt. They nest in colonies, while the nests are often located close to each other. The colonies can consist of up to many thousands there from a few pairs. In Morocco, a breeding colony was observed in the 1950s, in which some 125,000 nests were located on 60 acres. Here, up to 50 nests were in a single tree. However, reports of breeding colonies of this size are the exception: Only in the 1980s were counted in Algeria again a breeding colony of 4,678 nests. Total bred at the time 35,000 pairs willow sparrows in 13 colonies in an area which covered 40,000 square kilometers. This came 0.9 breeding pairs per square kilometer. Often the breeding places are being used for several years and also the second breeding attempt will take place at this point. Occasionally pull willow sparrows but for the second brood in a different region, to open up new feeding grounds.
The territorial behavior of breeding pairs is limited to the immediate vicinity of their nests. Willow sparrows pull up in a year from one to three broods. At the beginning of the breeding season the male occupied either an old nest from the previous year or constructing a new one. He tried a to attract females by singing. The pair-bonding process takes place within a few days once the female accepts the nesting site, it is complete.
The nest is assembled from grass, straw, twigs and leaves and other plant material loosely. The actual Nistmulde is designed with fine plant material, feathers and hair. The nest has a diameter of 15 to 30 cm and an average weight of 150 grams. It is located on branches in low bushes, hedges, reed beds, in the crown of the palm trees or in tree or rock caves. Also holes to house walls or roofs are sometimes used by willow sparrows for their nests the plant, but this behavior is only observed when no house sparrows occur in the region. Willow sparrows also nest in old, abandoned nests of house martins and Rötelschwalben.
The nest is built in four to seven days, first it builds the male alone and after the pairing then both parents birds. The actual Nistmulde is mainly by the female. In colonies where other males steal nesting material, the male guards the nest site, while the female works alone at the nest. The work on the nest continues even after the beginning of the breeding business.
Willow sparrows begin laying eggs when the nest is finished or nearly finished. The nest usually consists of four to six eggs, the planting distance is one day. The brood is taken before the clutch is complete. Both parents are involved in the breeding birds. The incubation period is 11 to 11.5 days. The nestlings are initially brooded by both parents birds; However, the larger share of the female. Both parents feed the nestlings birds, there are both equally involved. The young birds fledge after about 15 days and are supplied by the parents birds for another four to five days.
The breeding success is sometimes very high. In Morocco, were observed at 95 nests per nest between one and five nestlings fledged. In Algeria from 4023 located at least one young bird fledged per nest. The predators include the Barn Owl. Nestlings are eaten by snakes of the genus Elapha and of cattle egrets.
Stock
The European breeding population is estimated at the beginning of the 21st century to about 2.7 to 6.0 million breeding pairs. Among the countries in which there are more than 200,000 breeding pairs Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and the Azores counts.
Subspecies
The nominate Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis occurs to the north of Sudan in the south-western Europe and in the west of Morocco. Passer hispaniolensis transcapius is native to Egypt and Sudan. In the male the plumage is paler overall. The under tail-coverts and the feathers on the back and the rump are paler gray-brown Federsäume. The subspecies Passer hispaniolensis italiae is native to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Head and body top of the male correspond the nominate form, but at the underside of the body of the black plumage proportion is lower. The stripes on the flanks and on the lower breast is less pronounced than in the nominate.
System
The willow sparrow has long been considered a subspecies of the house sparrow, now you can see the willow sparrow as a separate article Both species live largely sympatric in the Iberian Peninsula, the Balkans and parts of North Africa, without leading to hybridization, which serves as proof of the independence of the species. The plumage of the males and the vocalizations differ significantly from each other, ecologically and biologically correct diet the types but all similar. In the common range of the House Sparrow occupied cities and towns and " leaves " the willow sparrow rural habitats. However, both types come alone before, they occupy a similar ecological spectrum. As ethological isolation mechanisms differences in plumage characteristics, nesting, voice and migration are considered. Especially in eastern Algeria and Tunisia in places, these isolation barriers seem to be but largely collapsed, due to hybridization occur there with respect to appearance and features very variable sparrow populations.
Also, the Italian Sparrow is sometimes viewed as a hybrid form of house and willow sparrow. Although molecular studies are contradictory today, much to be said for the classification of Italy as a subspecies of willow sparrow sparrow. An indication of this is that in contrast to the abrupt geographical exclusion of Italy and House Sparrows in the Alps Italy and willow sparrow in central and southern Italy are connected by a wide flowing transition zone ( see another Italian Sparrow ).
Willow sparrow and human
The Europe actually not very common pastures sparrows have evolved in some regions a problem. In Extremadura, in which, after the implementation of irrigation projects rice is grown, they are considered as a major pest. Willow sparrows are nesting birds of summer-dry steppe and desert regions. You use the short growing season after rains to pull up her brood. After the successful rearing of a scrim they move on to the north, in order to find suitable breeding areas. Until they reach the northern limit of distribution, therefore can be greatly increased their inventory. For Kazakhstan the number of occurring within a square kilometer birds on up to 2.5 million individuals was estimated. Such large inventory figures make effective measures almost impossible to damage to grain fields. The cultivation of wheat in these regions is therefore economically hardly possible.
In Tunisia, the destruction of nests of the willow sparrow is mandatory since 1892, but relatively well practiced. Whether this provision has any major impact on the population, is not yet fully investigated.