Swainson's Sparrow
Passer swainsonii
A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.”
识别特征
The Swainson's sparrow reaches a body length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in). There is no conspicuous sexual dimorphism.<p>It is often considered a race of grey-headed sparrow, 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.
分类信息
- 学名
- Passer swainsonii
- 命名信息
- (Rüppell, 1840)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Passeridae
- 属
- Passer
分布与栖息地
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.<p>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 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level, and in Ethiopia it occurs in areas of 1,200–4,500 metres (3,900–14,800 ft) above sea level.<p>In Ethiopian towns it is the common sparrow, similarly to the house sparrow in most of Eurasia.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Swainson's sparrows eat mostly seeds of grasses and cereals, and insects.<p>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 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.<p>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.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
African Sacred Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus
Striking white ibis with a naked black head and neck and black legs and feet. White wings framed by black wingtips and trailing edges. Can be encountered in almost any open habitat from wild wetlands to farmland and rubbish dumps. Originally restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, but now established in Taiwan and Europe, with feral colonies in France, Italy, and Spain.
Sepia-capped Flycatcher
Leptopogon amaurocephalus
Inconspicuous small flycatcher of humid tropical forest and edge. Usually found at middle levels inside forest and also in adjacent clearings where sometimes suspends its nest under the eaves of buildings, including ruins. Mainly sits quietly and fairly upright; at times sallies to pick insects from foliage. Note the grayish face with a dark ear patch, dark brownish (sepia) crown, and buffy wing edgings. Call is a stuttering froglike trill, given infrequently.
Bates's Sunbird
Cinnyris batesi
A very small nondescript sunbird with a short orange-based bill that curves uniformly along its length; easily mistaken for females of other sunbirds. The only features on the olive upperparts are indistinct paler eyebrows and lines running under the eyes, and yellow edging to the wings. Although often hidden, the male has yellow or whitish (not red) tufts at the shoulders. Singles are local and inconspicuous at the edges of lowland and riverine forest, sometimes entering secondary growth; it joins mixed-flocks and is frequently attracted to epiphytes in mossy clumps. Calls a high-pitched “tseeep” and trills. Little Green and Fraser’s sunbirds are similar to Bates’s but brighter, with straighter bills and more distinct yellowish eye-rings; Ursula’s Sunbird has a long decurved bill and grayish face and underparts.
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