Swainson's sparrow (''Passer swainsonii'') is a species of bird in the sparrow

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Passeridae. Sometimes considered a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

grey-headed sparrow The northern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer griseus''), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, includ ...

, it occurs in northeastern Africa, largely in the

Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...

. This sparrow was named after the English naturalist and illustrator William John Swainson.

Description

The Swainson's sparrow reaches a body length of . There is no conspicuous sexual dimorphism. It is often considered a race of

, but it tends to be darker, especially on the head and shoulders. There is a white bar on the shoulder, but this is not always visible. Similarly, the pale chestnut tail and rump is not always visible.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in the highlands of Ethiopia and Somalia, and in some of Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya. Apart from the far west, it is common throughout its range. Some populations show seasonal migrations. The habitats of the Swainson's sparrow are mountainous areas, marshes, open forest areas, savannas and shrubby grasslands. However, most often it occurs in human settlements and their surroundings. In Eritrea, it lives mostly on the open plateau at an altitude of above sea level, and in Ethiopia it occurs in areas of above sea level. In Ethiopian towns it is the common sparrow, similarly to the house sparrow in most of Eurasia.

Behaviour

Swainson's sparrows eat mostly seeds of grasses and cereals, and insects. The nest is a loose ball assembled from grass and feathers. A nest may be built on branches, or in the crown of palm trees, or in tree hollows. The birds also use cavities in buildings, and the old nests of the

Ethiopian swallow The Ethiopian swallow (''Hirundo aethiopica'') is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. Although it is non-migratory, its range is wide, extending from Benin to Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic ...

and African sand martin. They have been observed once removing nestlings of the African sand martin to take over their nests. A clutch contains three to six eggs. They are white with brown and gray spots. The breeding season falls in Eritrea during January to March and May to November, in Ethiopia breeding may occur from April to December. Outside the breeding season they live in flocks, sometimes consisting of several hundred individuals. Swarms of this size can cause some damage when they come in agricultural regions and gardens.

References

Works cited

External links

Swainson's sparrow
at the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q1090147 Swainson's sparrow Birds of the Horn of Africa Fauna of the Ethiopian Highlands Swainson's sparrow