Socotra Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Socotra Sparrow is a passerine
bird endemic to the islands of Socotra
, Samhah
, and Darsah
in the Indian Ocean
, off the Horn of Africa
. The taxonomy of this species and its relatives is complex, with some authorities, including BirdLife International
, recognising this species and the very similar Abd al-Kuri Sparrow
, as well as several from mainland Africa, as separate, and others lumping all these species and the probably unrelated Iago Sparrow
.
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 endemic to the islands of Socotra
Socotra
Socotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
, Samhah
Samhah
Samhah is an inhabited island of the Socotra archipelago, between the main island of Socotra, and Somalia. Like the whole group, it belongs to Yemen, specifically to Hadhramaut Governorate. Somalia also claims this Island. It measures 40 km² in area, making it the smallest of the three...
, and Darsah
Darsah
Darsah is an uninhabited island in the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen....
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, off the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. The taxonomy of this species and its relatives is complex, with some authorities, including BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
, recognising this species and the very similar Abd al-Kuri Sparrow
Abd al-Kuri Sparrow
The Abd al-Kuri Sparrow is a passerine bird endemic to the small island of Abd al Kuri in the Socotra archiplago of the Indian Ocean, off the Horn of Africa. Though this species was originally described as a distinct species, it is usually considered the same as the Socotra Sparrow...
, as well as several from mainland Africa, as separate, and others lumping all these species and the probably unrelated Iago Sparrow
Iago Sparrow
The Iago Sparrow , is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is also known as the Cape Verde Sparrow and the Rufous-backed Sparrow. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean....
.