The Timor sparrow (''Padda fuscata''), also known as Timor dusky sparrow, is a small

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

. The bird inhabits the grasslands and lowlands of the

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

archipelago with its distribution typically sparse. Its diet consists mainly of rice and seeds and is considered a rice pest in

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

. The Timor sparrow is closely related to the

Java sparrow The Java sparrow (''Padda oryzivora''; Japanese: 文鳥, ''bunchō''), also known as the Java finch, Java rice sparrow or Java rice bird, is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Java, Bali and Bawean in In ...

and is listed as

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

on the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

Taxonomy

It was formerly classified in the genus ''

Lonchura ''Lonchura'' is a genus of the estrildid finch family, and includes munias (or minias) and mannikins. They are seed-eating birds that are found in South Asia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippi ...

'', and some taxonomists still place this species, along with the

, in that genus.

Description

The Timor sparrow is an approximately long, plump dark brown

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

with a large silvery-blue

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

, white cheek, pink feet and creamy-white belly. Both sexes are similar. Its appearance resembles the closely related Java sparrow, but it is smaller and has different coloured plumage.

Distribution and habitat

The Timor sparrow is restricted to

West Timor West Timor () is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The capital as well ...

, and the nearby islands of

Semau Semau, also known as ''Pusmau'' and ''Pasar Pusmau,'' is an island in the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is located 20 miles off the harbor of Kupang. The inhabitants of Samau are the Helong people, who some believe are the original in ...

and

Rote Rote can refer to: People * Jason Butler Rote, American TV writer *Kyle Rote (1928–2002), American football player and father of: * Kyle Rote, Jr. (born 1950), American soccer player * Ryan Rote (born 1982), baseball pitcher * Tobin Rote (1928� ...

. While it occurs widely throughout this range, its distribution tends to be sparse and patchy. In certain localities, the species can be moderately common. For example, surveys along the Laivai River in Timor-Leste documented several groups of 30 to 50 birds within a small area over a short timeframe, indicating that the total population in that region likely numbers in the thousands. Local reports have also noted flocks ranging from several hundred to thousands of individuals. The Timor sparrow primarily inhabits the extreme lowlands but may be found at elevations up to around 700 metres. It is generally observed alone or in small groups of three to five birds, sometimes associating with mixed flocks of other seed-eating species. The species forages on or near the ground in a variety of habitats including grassland, lightly wooded cattle pastures, scrub, overgrown gardens, and degraded deciduous or monsoon forests, as well as along the margins of cultivated land. In Timor-Leste, it has been recorded in ''

Eucalyptus alba ''Eucalyptus alba'', commonly known as white gum, khaki gum or poplar gum, is a species of tree that is native to Australia, Timor, and New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowe ...

'' savanna, rice paddies, heavily degraded coastal shrublands, and riparian woodlands dominated by ''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'', also known as she-oak, Australian pine and native pine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Casuarinaceae, and is native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and e ...

'' species.

Relationships with humans

Considered a significant rice pest in Timor-Leste, the species has likely benefited from the expansion of rice cultivation, which provides prolonged access to grains and water. Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and illegal trapping for cage-bird trade, the Timor sparrow is evaluated as

on the

References

;Works cited *

External links

BirdLife International.org: ''Lonchura fuscata'' species factsheet

Red Data Book.id: ''Lonchura fuscata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27075730 Timor sparrow Birds of the Lesser Sunda Islands Timor sparrow Near threatened animals Near threatened biota of Asia Near threatened biota of Oceania Timor sparrow Timor sparrow