Damara Sparrow
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Damara Sparrow ( Passer diffusus ) |
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| ( Smith , 1836) |
The Southern Gray-Headed Sparrow ( registration diffusus ) is a bird art of the generic register from the family of sparrows (Passeridae). It is found exclusively in southern Africa, where it is a common and widespread bird. There are three subspecies, which are not recognized by all authors. The species is named after the Damara ethnic group , whose main settlement area is in Namibia.
The IUCN classifies the damara sparrow as not endangered ( least concern ).
Appearance
The Damara sparrow reaches a body length of 15 to 16 centimeters. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .
In the nominate form Passer diffusus diffuse , both the females and the males have a pale ash-gray skull, the coat is brown. Freshly moulted, the feathers of the coat have gray tips. The back and the upper tail covers are cinnamon colored. The dark brown control feathers have freshly moulted fine red-brown hems. The region from the base of the beak to the eye is gray-brown, the cheeks, the sides of the throat, the lower sides of the neck, the chest and the flanks are pale brownish-gray. The chin and throat have a light gray to white-gray spot in the middle, the belly and the lower tail-coverts are white-gray. Outside of the breeding season, the beak is horn-colored, while the lower beak is a little more reddish. During the breeding season, the beak is almost blackish. The eyes are dark brown to gray-brown, the legs dark flesh-colored.
Young birds are similar to adult birds, but they have a slightly more brown head and the top of the body appears slightly spotted.
Subspecies
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In addition to the nominate form Passer diffusus diffuseus , the following subspecies have been described:
- Passer diffusus stygiceps Clancey , 1954 - Found in southwest Malawi, southern Mozambique, eastern South African Republic, Lesotho and Swaziland . It is a little darker than the nominate form and a little brownish on the head and top of the body.
- Passer diffusus luangwae Benson , 1956 - Occurs in a small area in Zambia. It is slightly smaller than the nominate form and has a comparatively small beak.
- Passer diffusus mozambicus van Someren , 1921 - Found in southeast Malawi, northern Mozambique and southeast Tanzania. The plumage largely resembles that of P. d. stygiceps , but the top of the head is a little more gray and the back has a more intense shade of brown.
Some authors take the view that Passer diffusus mozambicus is a subspecies of the gray-headed sparrow and the subspecies Passer diffusus stygiceps is a hybrid between Damara sparrow and Passer griseus ugandae , a subspecies of the gray-headed sparrow .
Possible confusion
The distribution area of the Damara Sparrow overlaps with that of the very similar Gray-headed Sparrow in western Angola, in Zambia, Malawi and on the coast of Tanzania. The Damara sparrow differs from this species of sparrow in its somewhat slimmer build. The gray-headed sparrow also has a longer tail and a more powerful beak. The head is more gray, the back darker and less brownish. The damara sparrow also has a more uniformly gray-colored underside of the body and the lighter spot on the throat contrasts less strongly with the breast plumage than is the case with the gray-headed sparrow.
Distribution area
The distribution area of the Damara Sparrow is in southern Africa. It occurs in Angola , Zambia, Malawi, in the coastal areas of Tanzania, on the islands of Pemba , Zanzibar and Mafia as well as in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa. The size of the distribution area is estimated at 3.46 million square kilometers.
Damara sparrows are mostly resident birds ; in Zimbabwe, ringed birds have been found less than ten kilometers from the ringing site. In the edge zones of the distribution area, however, there is a regional migration behavior, for example Damara sparrows are rarer in the winter months in both the northwest and the south of their distribution area.
habitat
The habitats of the Damara Sparrow are open acacia forests, mopane forests and miombo . But it also occurs in African landscape types that are more strongly reshaped by humans. It can be found on farms, on arable land, plantations, gardens and in the vicinity of villages. In contrast, it is rare in the Karoo . The damara sparrow also avoids dense forests. Where its distribution area overlaps with that of the house sparrow , the house sparrow is more likely to be found in the inner-city area, while the Damara sparrow can be found in the outskirts of settlements. There is little competition with the Cape Sparrow , which is also widespread in southern Africa and is a stronger cultural successor than the Damara Sparrow.
Way of life
The damara sparrow eats seeds and insects. Buds and berries are also part of the food spectrum. He also looks for food in human waste.
The breeding season falls in the south of the distribution area in early summer, in the north, however, in late summer. Damara sparrows breed on Pemba in July, in Malawi in December and January, and in Zambia from January to April. In contrast to most sparrow species, the Damara sparrow mostly breeds singly, only occasionally does the formation of loose colonies occur. They are monogamous birds, usually two broods are raised in one breeding season. The damara sparrow is a niche and cave breeder . Tree hollows, but also protected cavities on or near buildings, be it under loose roof tiles or in wall holes or niches under the canopy, serve as typical nesting places . Damara sparrows also use the old, abandoned nests of other bird species such as woodpeckers , swallows and bearded birds . Both sexes are involved in nest building.
The clutch consists of two to five eggs. These have a bluish to greenish-white basic color and have gray and brown spots. Occasionally these spots are so dense that the basic color can hardly be seen. Both parent birds breed. The female and possibly also the male row the nestlings for short periods of three to ten minutes during their first days of life. Feed both parent birds. The young birds are looked after by the parent birds for a period of 16 to 25 days after leaving the nest. The parent birds feed them during this time and the young birds spend the night in the nest together with the parent birds.
Using a ringed bird in Malawi, it was shown that Damara sparrows can reach an age of five years in the wild.
The African cuckoo belongs to the breeding parasites of the Damara sparrow .
literature
- C. Hilary Fry , Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume 7, Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
Web links
- The damara sparrow on Avibase
- BirdLife factsheet on the Damara Sparrow
- Passer diffuse in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2014.