Desert sparrow

This article is about the Old World bird. For the North American bird, see Black-throated sparrow.

Desert sparrow

Conservation status
Not recognized (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Suborder:	Passeri
Infraorder:	Passerida
Superfamily:	Passeroidea
Family:	Passeridae
Genus:	Passer
Species:	P. simplex
Binomial name
*Passer simplex* (Lichtenstein, 1823)

The three subspecies of desert sparrow

The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in the Sahara Desert, Central Asia, and Iran.

Two subspecies occur in some of driest parts of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, and a distinct subspecies occurs in areas of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Asian subspecies may be a separate species, and is called the Asian desert sparrow or Zarudny's sparrow (Passer simplex zarudnyi). According to Guy Kirwan and colleagues, the Asian birds are separate under any definitions of species except the biological species concept.^[1] BirdLife International, and therefore the IUCN Red List, recognise both species.^[2]^[3]

The desert sparrow is not afraid to come near humans and sometimes builds nests in muddy walls. The Mozabite Berbers build their homes with holes in the walls to welcome these birds, which they call "bar-rode", and if one sings all day in the house, they say this is a sign of good news. The Tuareg, who call the bird "moula-moula", also say that this bird brings good news when it comes to stay near the camp.^[4]

This bird is becoming scarcer as a result of habitat destruction. The IUCN Red List nonetheless classifies both species it recognises as being of least concern for conservation,^[2]^[3] as it did before the split was recognised.^[5]

A pair of the subspecies P. s. saharae near Benichab, Mauritania
Eggs of Passer simplex saharae from the collections of the MHNT

References

↑ Kirwan, Guy M.; Schweitzer, Manuel; Ayé, Raffael; Grieve, Andrew (2009). "Taxonomy, identification and status of Desert Sparrows". Dutch Birding 31: 139–158. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011.
1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Passer zarudnyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Passer simplex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
↑ "The Desert Sparrow". The Emberiza Fund. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
↑ BirdLife International (2009). "Passer simplex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Passer simplex.

Desert sparrow at the Internet Bird Collection

Sparrows (family: Passeridae)

Genus	Species

Hypocryptadius	Cinnamon ibon

Passer	Saxaul sparrow House sparrow Spanish sparrow Italian sparrow Sind sparrow Somali sparrow Russet sparrow or cinnamon sparrow Plain-backed sparrow or Pegu sparrow Dead Sea sparrow Great sparrow Socotra sparrow Abd al-Kuri sparrow Kenya sparrow Kordofan sparrow Shelley's sparrow Iago sparrow Cape sparrow Northern grey-headed sparrow Swainson's sparrow Parrot-billed sparrow Swahili sparrow Southern grey-headed sparrow Desert sparrow Eurasian tree sparrow Sudan golden sparrow Arabian golden sparrow Chestnut sparrow Passer predomesticus

Petronia	Yellow-spotted petronia Yellow-throated sparrow Yellow-throated petronia Bush petronia Rock sparrow

Carpospiza	Pale rockfinch

Montifringilla (snowfinches)	White-winged snowfinch Henri's snowfinch Tibetan snowfinch or black-winged snowfinch White-rumped snowfinch Père David's snowfinch Rufous-necked snowfinch Blanford's snowfinch Afghan snowfinch

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