The family of passerines evolved in the Afrotropical region in the middle of the Miocene. Two groups, snow sparrows and land sparrows, probably originated in the Palaearctic region. Birds in Africa were divided into two groups: stone sparrows and true sparrows, which subsequently colonized Africa and gave rise to secondary colonies in Eurasia.
Bird scientists recognize five genera of sparrows:
- snowy;
- earthen;
- short-toed;
- stone;
- real.
Features of the habitat of sparrow species
Snow sparrows
Distributed in Europe and Asia, regularly appear in small quantities in Alaska during migration, shorten the path, flying through the Bering Sea. Some birds that migrate in the fall move south from the American side. Snow sparrows are seen in many states east of the Atlantic coast and south of Colorado.
Earth sparrows
Birds for nests choose semi-desert, rocky plains and plateaus with short dry grass, the outskirts of deserts; they are found in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia and from Mongolia to Siberian Altai.
Short-toed sparrows
They prefer arid areas with sparse dense vegetation, often in sparsely populated hilly and mountainous regions of Turkey, the Middle East, from Armenia to Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Baluchistan (Pakistan), also sometimes found in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. They hibernate mainly on the Arabian Peninsula and in northeastern Africa.
Stone sparrows
Stony areas with short grass, arid and stony fields, mountainous areas and ruins of antiquity are chosen for residence. This is a typical Mediterranean look. The stone sparrow is found in southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula and western North Africa, through southern Europe to Central Asia. Asian populations migrate south after the breeding season and in winter.
Real sparrows
This species is subdivided into two large subspecies:
House sparrows
Chosen cities, towns, farms. There is no definite place of residence, but they are always found near artificial structures, and not in natural habitats. They live in urban centers, suburbs, farms, near private houses and businesses.
Field sparrows
They settle on farmland and villages. In North America, they live in open areas with scattered bushes and trees, in suburban and urban areas. In Europe and Asia, it is found in many types of semi-open habitats, forest edges, villages, farms.
Physical features of sparrows
The order of passerines has short, strong beaks, which are used to collect grass seeds and cereals. Their tongues have a unique skeletal structure that peels the husks from the seeds. These birds also molt completely when they enter the adult stage of life.
Male beaks change color from gray to black when the birds become sexually active. Most species of the sparrow family lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Real and stone sparrows have short blunt wings and fly poorly, make short direct flights. Snow and earthen sparrows living in more open areas have proportionally longer wings with varying numbers of white feathers in their plumage, which stand out prominently on demonstration flights characteristic of open-air birds. Sexual dimorphism in snow, earthen and stone sparrows is practically absent. Only male stone sparrows have a yellow spot on their throats. In contrast, true sparrows are dimorphic, with black bibs and well-developed patterns on the head.
How sparrows behave
Most sparrows are sociable, gather in large flocks and form colonies. Many species have mixed breeding. Colonial nesting can be observed in Central Asia, where many hundreds of thousands of birds are simultaneously located in the places of residence of sparrows. In such colonies, the nests are closely spaced to each other, up to 200 nests per tree. In general, nests are not so densely located, their number is limited by the availability of suitable areas with vegetation. More often 20-30 couples settle nearby.
Sparrows indulge in dust and water bathing. Both are social activities. Flocks of birds alternate active collection of seeds with rest in a good shelter. While digesting hard seeds, sparrows sit close to each other and maintain social contact with soft chirps.
Sparrow nutrition and diet
Sparrows eat:
- seeds of small plants;
- cultivated cereals;
- eating pets;
- household waste;
- small berries;
- seeds of trees.
For chicks, parents “steal” animal feed. During the breeding season, adult sparrows eat invertebrates, mostly slow-moving insects, but sometimes catch their prey in flight.
