House sparrow

    Passer domesticus

Castilian: Gorrión común

Catalan: Pardal comú

Gallego: Pardal

Euskera: Etxe-txolarrea

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Passeridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Although its population is abundant, is appears to be decreasing with its abandonment of rural areas and higher levels of hygiene in cities, which makes its search for food more difficult.

Length / size: 14-15 cm / 21-25,5 cm

Identification: Small bird but with a robust appearance. Its plumage is brown with black stripes on its back, and greyish on its breast, cheeks, crown, and underparts. The male has a black bib that is larger during mating season. The female's crown is brown, her bill is more yellowish, and her forehead behind the eyes is light in colour. It is a very gregarious species.

Song: It makes noisy and very simple "cheep cheep" sounds, which it happily combines.

Diet: Very varied diet. It consumes all types of seeds, fruits and berries, and also insects and scraps that it collects off the ground.

Reproduction: The breeding cycle runs from April to August. The location of the nest is variable and both parents participate in its constructiong, using twigs, grass and feathers. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and later feed the chicks.

HABITAT

It shows a preference for open areas, but it depends heavily on areas with human populations.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout all of Spain. It is very dependent on humans and is rare in uninhabited areas or those with dense forests.

In Castile and León: Possibly the most numerous bird in the community; it is present in all the provinces. The densest concentrations are located in León, Zamora, Salamanca, Segovia and Soria. Nevertheless, it is disappearing in uninhabited areas of Burgos.

Movements and migrations: It is a sedentary species.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 10 million breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: