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Systematic list - part 13: Sparrows

 

Italian Sparrow Passer italiae (1000+)

Extremely common pretty much everywhere. Many sparrows in Sicily resemble Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis rather more closely than the textbook appearance of Italian Sparrow that occurs on the Italian mainland, but some look like Italian Sparrows are supposed to and many are intermediate. Although Italian Sparrow is believed to have become sufficiently stable to merit specific status despite its origin as a hybrid between Spanish Sparrow and House Sparrow, the birds on Sicily seem not to be less stable. Some birds would be very difficult to separate from a pure Spanish Sparrow on visual appearance - are any of them actually pure Spanish Sparrows?

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Italian Sparrows, Syracusa, 23rd April

 

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Italian Sparrows, Capo Murro di Porco, 2nd May (left) and 24th April (right)

 

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Italian Sparrows, Etna, 25th April (left) and near Capo Murro di Porco, 2nd May (right)

 

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Italian Sparrows, Monteluce, 29th April

 

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Italian Sparrows, Riserva Naturale Orientata Fiume Ciane, 23rd April (left) and Valle di Templi, Agrigento, 27th April (right)

 

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Italian Sparrows, Monteluce, 29th April (left) and near Capo Murro di Porco, 3rd May (right)

 

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Italian Sparrows, Riserva Naturale Orientata Biviere di Gela, 28th April

 

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Italian Sparrows, Monteluce, 28th April

 

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Italian Sparrows, Granelli, 29th April

 

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Italian Sparrows, Etna South, 25th April

 

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus (60+)

Small numbers in several areas, especially in the far SE of Sicily.

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Tree Sparrows, Portopalo di Capo Passero, 1st May (left) and Riserva Naturale Orientate Fiume Ciane, 23rd April (right)

 

Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia (4)

2 at Etna Sud on 26th April and 2 on the way up to Cava Grande del Cassibile on 5th May.

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Rock Sparrows, Etna South, 26th April

 

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