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IDENTIFICATION OF SPANISH SPA- MALE IN WINTER RROW ( Passer hispaniolensis ) AND In winter , males can be separated by pattern HOUSE SPARROW ( Passer domesticus ) of head and flank. MALE IN SPRING In spring , males are unmistakable by pattern 2 of plumage. 1
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Spanish Sparrow. Spring. Male: chest- 3 nut head without grey (1); white su- percilium before the Spanish Sparrow. Winter. Male: long superci- eye (2); with lium before the eye (1); brownish crown (2); 3 streaked breast and brown bases of crown feathers (3); with flanks (3). streaked flanks (4).
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4 House Sparrow. Spring. Male: : chestnut and grey 3 head (1); without white supercilium before the eye (2); House Sparrow. Winter. Male: short superci- lium before the eye (1); greyish crown (2); grey breast and flanks bases of crown feathers (3); with unstreaked 3 unstreaked (3). flanks (4).
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FEMALE All authors consulted agree that it is not always 4 3 1 possible to separate the females of both spe- cies using only the plumage pattern, since the 2 overlap between both species is very large and it 5 is very difficult to find specimens that meet all the conditions. To verify this, photographs of female s of both Spanish Sparrow and House Sparrow randomly chosen are provided com- paring the differentiating characters obtained from the following bibliography: S. Cramp (ed.) (1994), A. Harris et al . (1989), A. Harris et al . (1996), Demongin (2016) and Shirihai & Svens- 4 son (2018). 3 These characters are: 1 2 Spanish Sparrow : 5 - Bill more robust (1). - Cutting edge of upper mandible more curved (2). - Steeper-sloping forehead (3). - Broader supercilium both before and behind the eye, pale cream coloured (4). - Pale ear-coverts, contrasting less with supercilium (5). - Shaft streaks on crown feathers dark (6). - Breast usually with faint darkish streaks and dots (7). Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. - Flanks with diffuse streaked (8). Pattern of head and bill: Spanish with more ro- - Mantle sides with paler and better-pronounced bust bill (1) (it is not fulfilled, the House’s bill tramlines (9). seems shorter and thicker) ; Spanish with cut- - Uppertail coverts and rump feathers usually with ting edge of upper mandible more curved (2) (it faint darkish shaft streaks (10). is not fulfilled, the cutting edge of this House is - Undertail coverts with diffuse greyish centres (11). more curved) ; Spanish with steeper-sloping fo- - Tertials with pale edges merging slightly more with rehead and House with squared forehead (3) (it less blackish centres (12). is fulfilled, but the Spanish bird has bristling - Tips of median wing coverts with large pale patch (13). feathers and can distort the appreciation) ; Spa- nish with supercilium both before and behind House Sparrow : the eye and House with supercilium only behind - Bill slightly weaker (1). the eye (4) (it is fulfilled) ; Spanish with paler - Cutting edge of upper mandible less curved (2). ear-coverts contrasting less with supercilium (5) - With squared forehead (3) (it is fulfilled with a subtle difference). - Diffuse supercilium only behind the eye, grey- browned coloured (4). Top - Ear-coverts dark grey and with great contrast with Spanish supercilium (5). Spa- - Shaft streaks on crown feathers pale and uniform 6 rrow, (6). bottom - Breast without faint darkish streaks and dots (7). House - Flanks without diffuse streaked (8). Spa- - Mantle sides with darker and worse-pronounced tramlines (9). rrow. - Uppertail coverts and rump feathers usually Pattern without faint darkish shaft streaks (10). of - Undertail coverts with narrow greyish centres often 6 crown almost restricted to shaft área (11). feathers: - Tertials with more brown-reddish edges (12). Spanish - Tips of median wing coverts with small pale patch with (13). darker sreaks on shaft of crown feathers (6) (it is not CAUTION: other compared birds would give fulfilled, House has darker shafts). different coincidences and differences. http://blascozumeta.com Write your website here Page 2 Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Sponsor is needed. Write your name here 419a Identification of Spanish/House Sparrows Put your logo here
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Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. Pattern of breast: Spanish with more spotted breast (7) (it is fulfilled).
7 Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of mantle: Spanish with paler and better -pronounced tramlines (9) (it is fulfilled, but with very subtle differences).
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8 Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of rump and uppertail coverts: Spanish with darker shaft streaks (10) (it is not fulfilled, in these birds, House has darker shaft on rump feathers).
Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. Pattern of flank: Spanish with more spotted flanks (8) (it is fulfilled).
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JUVENILE The revised literature indicates that juveniles of both species are indistinguishable . To verify this, photographs of juveniles of both Spanish Sparrow and House Sparrow randomly cho- sen are provided comparing the same characters that have been used in the case of females . 11 11 CAUTION: other compared birds would give different coincidences and differences.
4 3 1 Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of undertail coverts: Spanish with larger 2 dark greyish centres (11) (it is not fulfilled, in 5 these birds House has wider dark centres around the shaft).
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Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. Pattern of tertials: Spanish with paler edges on Pattern of head and bill: Spanish with more ro- tertials (12) (it is not fulfilled, in these birds bust bill (1) (it is not fulfilled, both bills are qui- differences are very subtle). te similar) ; Spanish with cutting edge of upper mandible more curved (2) (it is fulfilled with a Top Spanish subtle difference) ; Spanish with steeper-sloping 13 Sparrow, forehead and House with squared forehead (3) bottom (it is not fulfilled, both birds have similar fo- House Spa- rehead) ; Spanish with supercilium both before rrow. Pat- and behind the eye and House with supercilium tern of wing only behind the eye (4) (it is fulfilled) ; Spanish coverts: with paler ear-coverts contrasting less with su- Spanish percilium (5) (it is fulfilled). 13 with larger pale tips on median co- verts (13) (it is fulfilled).
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Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom Hou- 8 se Sparrow. 6 Pattern of crown feat- hers: Spa- nish with darker sreaks on shaft of crown feat- 8 hers (6) (it is 6 not fulfilled, they have similar feat- hers).
Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. Pattern of flank: Spanish with more spotted flanks (8) (it is not fulfilled, no bird has a mottled flank).
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Top Spanish Sparrow, bottom House Sparrow. 9 Pattern of breast: 9 Spanish with more spotted breast (7) (it is not fulfilled, 7 they have simi- lar feathers).
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Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of mantle: Spanish with paler and better- pronounced tramlines (9) (it is fulfilled, but with very subtle differences).
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Top Spanish 13 Sparrow, bottom House Spa- rrow. Pat- tern of wing coverts: 10 10 Spanish 13 with larger pale tips on median co- verts (13) (it is fulfilled).
Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of rump and uppertail coverts: Spanish with darker shaft streaks (10) (it is not fulfilled, both birds have similar feathers).
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Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of undertail coverts: Spanish with larger dark greyish centres (11) (it is not fulfilled, both birds have similar feathers).
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Left Spanish Sparrow, right House Sparrow. Pattern of tertials: Spanish with paler edges on tertials (12) (it is not fulfilled, both birds have similar feathers). http://blascozumeta.com Write your website here Page 6