Italian Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Italian Sparrow is a passerine
bird of the sparrow
family
Passeridae, found in Italy
and other parts of the Mediterranean region. In appearance, it is intermediate between the House Sparrow
, and the Spanish Sparrow
, a species of the Mediterranean and Central Asia closely related to the House Sparrow. The Italian Sparrow occurs in northern Italy and neighbouring regions, with intermediates with the House Sparrow in a very narrow contact zone in the Alps
, a slow gradation in appearance from the Italian to Spanish Sparrows across central and southern Italy, and more birds of intermediate appearance in Malta
, Crete
, and other parts of the Mediterranean. There has been much debate on the origins and taxonomic status of the Italian Sparrow, especially given its possible hybrid origin. Some have classified it as a subspecies of House Sparrow, a subspecies of the Spanish Sparrow, or as a distinct species, a treatment followed if only for convenience by authorities such as the Handbook of the Birds of the World
. A DNA analysis by Glenn-Peter Sætre and colleagues published in 2011 indicated an origin of the Italian Sparrow through hybridisation between the Spanish and House Sparrows, and Sætre and colleagues argued that given its origins and the limited extent of hybridisation, the treatment as a distinct species was supported.
. The sexes differ in their plumage pattern, and slightly in length. The male has a head patterned like that of the Spanish Sparrow
, with a chestnut crown
, nape and sides of head, and white cheeks. The male's upperparts are bright chestnut, and its underparts are pale grey, lacking the black streaking of the Spanish Sparrow. The male has a black patch on its throat and chest, known as a bib or badge. This patch, like much of the male's plumage is dull in fresh non-breeding plumage and is brightened by wear and preening. The female is nearly identical to the female House Sparrow
, but it differs from the female Spanish Sparrow in its lack of black streaks on the underparts. Albinism
is occasionally recorded.
The Italian Sparrow is about the same size as the House Sparrow at 14 – in length. The tail is 5.3 –, the tarsus
18.6 –, and wing lengths for males are 7.3 –. The Italian Sparrow's weight varies seasonally from 30 grams (1.1 oz) in the winter to 26 gram (0.917123014732911 oz) in the summer.
The vocalisations of the Italian Sparrow are similar to those of both the Spanish Sparrow and the House Sparrow. Its vocalisations carry better in natural environments than those of the House Sparrow. The male gives a chreep call like that of the Spanish Sparrow to proclaim nest ownership, and a faster version of this as part of courtship display
. Male song patterns grade slowly into those of the Spanish Sparrow across southern Italy, but in the area of overlap between the House and Italian Sparrows, the two birds sound alike.
status of the Italian Sparrow has been a matter of debate. It has been variously regarded as a stable hybrid between the House Sparrow and Spanish Sparrow, or as a subspecies
of either the House or Spanish Sparrow. Many authorities, including the Handbook of the Birds of the World
, recognise it as a separate species, if only for convenience. Others, including many conservation groups, consider the Italian Sparrow a simple hybrid and ignore it. The chromosome
s of Italian Sparrows are distinct from those of the House Sparrow, but mitochondrial DNA
suggest a close relation to the House Sparrow.
A DNA analysis by Jo Hermansen, Glenn-Peter Sætre, and a group of other scientists from Norway published in Molecular Ecology
in 2011 indicates that the Italian Sparrow originated as a hybrid between House and Spanish Sparrows. It has mitochondrial DNA
from both parent species. Additionally, it is now breeding beside the Spanish Sparrow without cross-breeding in areas where the species both occur. Although it hybridises with the House Sparrow in a sparsely populated contact zone in the Alps, he contact zone is characterized by relatively abrupt changes in species-specific male plumage, suggesting that partial reproductive isolation based on plumage may also have developed between these two taxa. As a genetically distinct group that is reproductively isolated from the parental species, it must be accounted a new species, according to Hermansen and colleagues.
, Corsica
, and small parts of France
, Switzerland
, Austria
, and Slovenia
. Its distribution was described by Italian zoologist Enrico Hillyer Giglioli
in 1881 as professing "'Conservative opinions'; for it keeps strictly within our current political frontiers". At the northernmost edge of its range in the southern Alps
, there is a narrow hybrid zone about 20–30 km (12–20 mi) wide with House Sparrow. In southern Italy, there is a gradual clinal trend with the Spanish Sparrow, with birds increasing in their similarity to the Spanish Sparrow in appearance and ecology further south, from around Naples
to western Sicily
, where birds resemble pure Spanish Sparrows. However, this trend may be superficial, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World recognises birds from Sicily and Crete as Italian Sparrows.
Sardinia
is occupied by Spanish Sparrows, while sparrows on Malta
, Crete
, and the adjacent islands are intermediates similar to the Italian Sparrow. On Malta, sparrows resemble the Spanish Sparrow, with urban birds behaving much like the House Sparrow, and rural birds like the Spanish Sparrow. The situation is complicated by House and Spanish Sparrows which winter and migrate on Malta. A more complex situation occurs in parts of northern Africa
, where a highly variable mixed, interbreeding population of House Sparrows and Spanish Sparrows occurs. This "hybrid swarm" shows a full range of characters from nearly pure House Sparrows to nearly pure Spanish Sparrows and everything between.
The Italian Sparrow is associated with human habitations, inhabiting towns, cities, and agricultural areas. In most cities in Italy, it shares the urban environment with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and in some parts of Naples
, it is replaced entirely by this species.
The Italian Sparrow's breeding population is believed to comprise 5 to 10 million pairs, 750,000 to 900,000 in urban areas. It has a population density of 58 to 160 pairs per square kilometer. Up to the mid-1990s, its population increased steadily, probably due to increased urbanisation. Between 2000 and 2005, the Italian Sparrow's population in Italy declined by 27.1 percent, mirroring the declines of the House Sparrow throughout Europe. From 1998 to 2008, urban populations declined by about 50 percent. A study of the Italian Sparrow's status listed a large number of potential causes for the Italian Sparrow's decline, including shortages of insect food, agricultural intensification, and reductions of green areas. The Italian Sparrow is among the most common birds in Italian cities, but other species, including the European Goldfinch
, are more common.
It is mostly sedentary, but it wanders to some extent outside its breeding season. These wanderings are mostly local, but they may extend into southern France. Similarly, the House Sparrow sometimes occurs as a winter visitor in northern Italy.
Besides intergrading with the Spanish and House Sparrows, the Italian Sparrow has been recorded hybridising with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. The eggs of the Italian Sparrow do not seem to differ from those of the House Sparrow. Broods may contain 2 to 8 eggs, with an average of about 5.2.
. Like the House Sparrow, the Italian Sparrow is considered a biological indicator of pollution.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird of the sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Passeridae, found in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and other parts of the Mediterranean region. In appearance, it is intermediate between the House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
, and the Spanish Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
The Spanish Sparrow or Willow Sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia...
, a species of the Mediterranean and Central Asia closely related to the House Sparrow. The Italian Sparrow occurs in northern Italy and neighbouring regions, with intermediates with the House Sparrow in a very narrow contact zone in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, a slow gradation in appearance from the Italian to Spanish Sparrows across central and southern Italy, and more birds of intermediate appearance in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and other parts of the Mediterranean. There has been much debate on the origins and taxonomic status of the Italian Sparrow, especially given its possible hybrid origin. Some have classified it as a subspecies of House Sparrow, a subspecies of the Spanish Sparrow, or as a distinct species, a treatment followed if only for convenience by authorities such as the Handbook of the Birds of the World
Handbook of the Birds of the World
The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15...
. A DNA analysis by Glenn-Peter Sætre and colleagues published in 2011 indicated an origin of the Italian Sparrow through hybridisation between the Spanish and House Sparrows, and Sætre and colleagues argued that given its origins and the limited extent of hybridisation, the treatment as a distinct species was supported.
Description
The Italian Sparrow is a small chunky bird, with grey and brown plumagePlumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. The sexes differ in their plumage pattern, and slightly in length. The male has a head patterned like that of the Spanish Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
The Spanish Sparrow or Willow Sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia...
, with a chestnut crown
Crown (anatomy)
A crown is the top of the head.The following birds and other animals are said to have a crown on their head:* Cranes** Grey-crowned Crane** Red-crowned Crane** Black-crowned Crane* Crowned eagle* Gray-crowned Rosy Finch* Yellow-crowned Gonolek...
, nape and sides of head, and white cheeks. The male's upperparts are bright chestnut, and its underparts are pale grey, lacking the black streaking of the Spanish Sparrow. The male has a black patch on its throat and chest, known as a bib or badge. This patch, like much of the male's plumage is dull in fresh non-breeding plumage and is brightened by wear and preening. The female is nearly identical to the female House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
, but it differs from the female Spanish Sparrow in its lack of black streaks on the underparts. Albinism
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
is occasionally recorded.
The Italian Sparrow is about the same size as the House Sparrow at 14 – in length. The tail is 5.3 –, the tarsus
Tarsus (skeleton)
In tetrapods, the tarsus is a cluster of articulating bones in each foot situated between the lower end of tibia and fibula of the lower leg and the metatarsus. In the foot the tarsus articulates with the bones of the metatarsus, which in turn articulate with the bones of the individual toes...
18.6 –, and wing lengths for males are 7.3 –. The Italian Sparrow's weight varies seasonally from 30 grams (1.1 oz) in the winter to 26 gram (0.917123014732911 oz) in the summer.
The vocalisations of the Italian Sparrow are similar to those of both the Spanish Sparrow and the House Sparrow. Its vocalisations carry better in natural environments than those of the House Sparrow. The male gives a chreep call like that of the Spanish Sparrow to proclaim nest ownership, and a faster version of this as part of courtship display
Courtship display
Courtship display is a special, sometimes ritualised, set of behaviours which some animals perform as part of courtship. Courtship behaviours can include special calls, postures, and movements, and may involve special plumage, bright colours or other ornamentation. A good example is the 'dancing'...
. Male song patterns grade slowly into those of the Spanish Sparrow across southern Italy, but in the area of overlap between the House and Italian Sparrows, the two birds sound alike.
Taxonomy
The taxonomicTaxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
status of the Italian Sparrow has been a matter of debate. It has been variously regarded as a stable hybrid between the House Sparrow and Spanish Sparrow, or as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of either the House or Spanish Sparrow. Many authorities, including the Handbook of the Birds of the World
Handbook of the Birds of the World
The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15...
, recognise it as a separate species, if only for convenience. Others, including many conservation groups, consider the Italian Sparrow a simple hybrid and ignore it. The chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s of Italian Sparrows are distinct from those of the House Sparrow, but mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
suggest a close relation to the House Sparrow.
A DNA analysis by Jo Hermansen, Glenn-Peter Sætre, and a group of other scientists from Norway published in Molecular Ecology
Molecular ecology
Molecular ecology is a field of evolutionary biology that is concerned with applying molecular population genetics, molecular phylogenetics, and more recently genomics to traditional ecological questions...
in 2011 indicates that the Italian Sparrow originated as a hybrid between House and Spanish Sparrows. It has mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
from both parent species. Additionally, it is now breeding beside the Spanish Sparrow without cross-breeding in areas where the species both occur. Although it hybridises with the House Sparrow in a sparsely populated contact zone in the Alps, he contact zone is characterized by relatively abrupt changes in species-specific male plumage, suggesting that partial reproductive isolation based on plumage may also have developed between these two taxa. As a genetically distinct group that is reproductively isolated from the parental species, it must be accounted a new species, according to Hermansen and colleagues.
Distribution and habitat
The Italian Sparrow is found in northern and central ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and small parts of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Its distribution was described by Italian zoologist Enrico Hillyer Giglioli
Enrico Hillyer Giglioli
Enrico Hillyer Giglioli was an Italian zoologist and anthropologist.Giglioli was born in London and first studied there. He obtained a degree in science at the University of Pisa in 1864 and started to teach zoology in Florence in 1869...
in 1881 as professing "'Conservative opinions'; for it keeps strictly within our current political frontiers". At the northernmost edge of its range in the southern Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, there is a narrow hybrid zone about 20–30 km (12–20 mi) wide with House Sparrow. In southern Italy, there is a gradual clinal trend with the Spanish Sparrow, with birds increasing in their similarity to the Spanish Sparrow in appearance and ecology further south, from around Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
to western Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, where birds resemble pure Spanish Sparrows. However, this trend may be superficial, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World recognises birds from Sicily and Crete as Italian Sparrows.
Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
is occupied by Spanish Sparrows, while sparrows on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and the adjacent islands are intermediates similar to the Italian Sparrow. On Malta, sparrows resemble the Spanish Sparrow, with urban birds behaving much like the House Sparrow, and rural birds like the Spanish Sparrow. The situation is complicated by House and Spanish Sparrows which winter and migrate on Malta. A more complex situation occurs in parts of northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, where a highly variable mixed, interbreeding population of House Sparrows and Spanish Sparrows occurs. This "hybrid swarm" shows a full range of characters from nearly pure House Sparrows to nearly pure Spanish Sparrows and everything between.
The Italian Sparrow is associated with human habitations, inhabiting towns, cities, and agricultural areas. In most cities in Italy, it shares the urban environment with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and in some parts of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, it is replaced entirely by this species.
The Italian Sparrow's breeding population is believed to comprise 5 to 10 million pairs, 750,000 to 900,000 in urban areas. It has a population density of 58 to 160 pairs per square kilometer. Up to the mid-1990s, its population increased steadily, probably due to increased urbanisation. Between 2000 and 2005, the Italian Sparrow's population in Italy declined by 27.1 percent, mirroring the declines of the House Sparrow throughout Europe. From 1998 to 2008, urban populations declined by about 50 percent. A study of the Italian Sparrow's status listed a large number of potential causes for the Italian Sparrow's decline, including shortages of insect food, agricultural intensification, and reductions of green areas. The Italian Sparrow is among the most common birds in Italian cities, but other species, including the European Goldfinch
European Goldfinch
The European Goldfinch or Goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family.-Habitat and range:The goldfinch breeds across Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia, in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions...
, are more common.
Behaviour
The Italian Sparrow's behaviour is similar in many ways to that of the House Sparrow. It is a social bird, which feeds mostly on seeds and insects.It is mostly sedentary, but it wanders to some extent outside its breeding season. These wanderings are mostly local, but they may extend into southern France. Similarly, the House Sparrow sometimes occurs as a winter visitor in northern Italy.
Besides intergrading with the Spanish and House Sparrows, the Italian Sparrow has been recorded hybridising with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. The eggs of the Italian Sparrow do not seem to differ from those of the House Sparrow. Broods may contain 2 to 8 eggs, with an average of about 5.2.
Relationships with humans
In most of its range, the Italian Sparrow is an abundant and familiar bird of houses. It has been one of the wild birds most commonly consumed as food in Italy. Portrayals of the Italian Sparrow or one of its relatives have been found at PompeiiPompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
. Like the House Sparrow, the Italian Sparrow is considered a biological indicator of pollution.