Italian Sparrow

Italian Sparrow (male )

The Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae ) is a population group of sparrows, which has a great similarity with respect to the willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis ) and the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). You can meet the Italian Sparrow on the Apennine peninsula, Corsica and Crete. He is there as far as possible without the two closely related species pastures sparrow and house sparrow before and thus represents both of these species in the area. The taxonomic status of the Italian Sparrow is extremely controversial, he was and is considered in addition to the classification as a separate species both as a subspecies of the house as well as the willow sparrow. The evolutionary origin of Italy sparrow is controversial for a long time, it is assumed that he was created by a stabilized hybridization of house and willow sparrow, which is today, however, not very optimistic.

Appearance

In appearance the Italian Sparrow is located between its two parental species and is virtually indistinguishable from elsewhere spontaneously produced hybrids: Like the willow sparrow head, forehead and neck are lively chestnut brown, sometimes reddish brown. The cheeks are almost pure white, not schmutziggrauweiß as the house sparrow. A fine white over eye-streak is usually clearly visible. The throat patch is pure black, the black bib clearly flocculated as the house sparrow. In other body plumage of the Italian Sparrow again very similar to the house sparrow, but are also brown and not gray at his rear back and rump. The females of the Italian sparrow can hardly be in the field from those of the house sparrow, very difficult to distinguish from those of the willow sparrow.

Dissemination

On the Apennine peninsula of the Italian Sparrow is the most common species. Its distribution to the north is limited by the Alpine arch. South of the Alps, there is a fairly abrupt, about 35 to 40 km wide transition zone between the populations of the house sparrow and Italy, where it also occurs frequently Bastardisierungen. Phenotypically pure Italy sparrows reach Tyrolean valleys north of the Alps and appear sporadically in Southern Carinthia.

In contrast to the rather abrupt Artübergang the house sparrow in the north of the Italian Sparrow is joined by a wide flowing transition zone with the wicker bird in the center and south of Italy.

The sparrows Italy Corsica similar in appearance to those of northern Italy, and the transition to the pastures sparrows in Sardinia is here quite clearly. Also Crete has been inhabited by the Italian Sparrow.

Habitat

Like the house sparrow, the Italian Sparrow, a resident of the towns, villages and agricultural properties. He is an outspoken state bird without tendency to nomadic lifestyle of the willow sparrow.

Nutrition

Its diet consists of seeds of all kinds; animal food is taken depending on availability in varying degrees, but their share in the total amount exceeds 10 % but not substantially.

Taxonomic discussion

The taxonomic classification of the Italian sparrow has always been controversial since its description almost 200 years ago and still not resolved today. The appearance of the plumage of the males of the Italian sparrow is clearly between the house and willow sparrow, females of all three species, however, are very similar. House and willow sparrow considered to be different species because they occur sympatrically in many areas, without that it would come to hybridizations. Everything else is controversial, the main issues are discussed below.

What is the Italian Sparrow come about?

The still most common hypothesis has been heavily influenced by Wilhelm Meise, in 1936, the thesis aufstellte, the Italian Sparrow is a stabilized hybrid of house and willow sparrow. He based this theory, among other things, that it still comes in oases in eastern Algeria and Tunisia to the hybridization between willow sparrow and the subspecies of the house sparrow tingitanus, and that local hybrids resemble the Italian Sparrow in appearance very much. Also there is in southern Italy a broad transition zone between grassland and Italian Sparrow as well as in the north a zone hybridize in Italy and House Sparrows. Furthermore, the sparrows in northern Italy more closely resemble the house sparrows to the south over the pastures sparrows, and there are a gradual transition. Thus, the Italian Sparrow seems very nearly are two supposed precursor species.

All scenarios to explain the hybridogenen emergence of the Italian Sparrow insinuate thereby three phases: In the first phase, there is an extensive hybridization between two parental species, in the second phase there is a geographical isolation of the hybrid form ( for example, by increasing glaciation during the Pleistocene ), the can thereby stabilize. In the third phase, the hybrid form comes back in contact with both parental species, and it comes again to hybridizations that affect the boundaries of the species.

In the plant world, a speciation by hybridization is not uncommon, however, in the bird world so far have all such assumptions can not be confirmed. Nevertheless, this theory of the origin of Italy sparrow was accepted and even viewed as a prime example of speciation by hybridization stabilized.

The work Meise influenced the ornithologists in the aftermath very. It was not until a long time later, it was first pointed out by Burkard Stephan that the argument Meise contains a circular argument, since this a feature index as defined in the original position of his work that the Italian Sparrow is located exactly between willow and house sparrow and thus the speciation by hybridization already implicitly assumed.

Thus, alternatively, a " conventional " speciation of Italy sparrow is assumed, whereby it remains unknown whether this is a separate species or a subspecies of House Sparrow or pastures. Another hypothesis in this context is that the Italian Sparrow is an intermediate stage in the species separation of house and willow sparrow.

Who the Italian Sparrow is closer?

Regardless of the origin and taxonomic status is also the question whether the Italian Sparrow is the house or the willow sparrow closer, still controversial. From an ecological perspective the Italian Sparrow seems to be the house sparrow closer, because he is like this, also an outspoken Kulturfolger. The broad zone smooth transition between Italy and willow sparrow in southern Italy and the pretty abrupt transition between Italy and House Sparrows in the Alps dates as far more on a close family relationship between willow and Italian Sparrow, it being noted that Wilhelm Meise 1936 the abrupt transition between house and Italian Sparrow looked somewhat arbitrary in the Alps as a reason attributable to the Italian Sparrow House Sparrow as a subspecies, which in turn influenced many researchers in the subsequent period.

In the past, carried out scientific studies come to different results. Many published at the end of the 20th century research, which included in addition to the traditional ways of working and bioacoustics, reproductive biology, molecular genetics and chromosome studies show that the Italian Sparrow has much more in common with the willow sparrow as the house sparrow ..

In contrast, a 1988 study carried out in the gene segments of 15 polymorphic isozymes of Italy from the House Sparrow a span of 15,300 years and, in contrast, dated the secession of Italy from willow sparrow to 113,300 years ago for the spin-off. In 2001, the mitochondrial gene sequence of the cytochrome b and other mitochondrial pseudogenes of at least two different individuals of the species involved were investigated. These analyzes show fewer differences between Italy and House Sparrows (deviation 0.54 %) than between Italy and willow sparrow (deviation 2.66% ) and thus create a closer relationship relationship between House and Italian Sparrow close. In turn, these two molecular genetic work contradicts a 2002 DNA analysis of microsatellites, which suggests the origin of Italy sparrow from a willow sparrow population.

Is the Italian Sparrow is a unique species?

Was originally described as an independent species of the Italian Sparrow ( Fringilla italiae Vieillot 1817). In the meantime, he was - and still is - a subspecies of the house sparrow ( P. domesticus italiae ) or as a subspecies of the willow sparrow ( P. hispaniolensis italiae ) is considered. The thesis of the emergence hybridogenen bearing in mind he is x italiae classified as a passer. To be on the problem of the unclear origin of species out of the way, you can see him mainly for practical reasons as a separate species (Passer italiae ).

For classification as a subspecies of willow sparrow today is much, also the seamless transition between the sparrow populations in southern Italy. It should be noted here that according to the taxonomic priority rules, the correct names for Italy and willow sparrow would be really Passer italiae italiae and register italiae hispaniolensis because the nomenclature for species with subspecies of the older name is used as the species name.

It is also interesting that immigrated in the 1990s in central and northern Italy in Foggia and the delta of the Po ever a pure willow sparrow population whose stock is growing steadily. This willow sparrows do not seem to mix with the resident sparrows Italy. In accordance with the established rules but a period of at least 25 years or 3 generations, is to be seen for invasive species to view these as established. Then, the species status of the Italian Sparrow would be to reconsider.