Swahili sparrow
| Swahili sparrow | ||||||||||||
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Swahili sparrow ( Passer suahelicus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Passer suahelicus | ||||||||||||
| Reichenow , 1904 |
The Suahelisperling ( Passer suahelicus ) is a species of the family of sparrows, which is found only in a small region in the east of Africa. The IUCN classifies the species as not endangered ( least concern ).
Appearance
The Swahili sparrow reaches a body length of 16 centimeters. The wing length is 8.4 to 9.1 centimeters, the tail measures between 6.4 and 6.7 centimeters. It weighs around 20 grams. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .
The top of the head, the sides of the neck and the upper coat are gray-brown, on the coat this plumage color changes into a matt brown. The back, the rump and the upper tail-coverts are cinnamon-colored, the control feathers are dark brown with fine red-brown edges. The region between the beak and the eyes is dark gray-brown and slightly lighter in the region of the ear covers. The underside of the body is light yellow-brown. The throat, abdomen and under tail covers are slightly lighter than the rest of the underside of the body. The bill is dark to dark horn-colored, the eyes are light brown, the legs are dark flesh-colored. Fledglings are similar to adult birds.
Possible confusion
The distribution area of the Swahili sparrow borders in the north on that of the parrot-beaked sparrow . The Swahili sparrow is smaller and has a more delicate beak than this Passer species. The gray-headed sparrow, which is very common in Africa, occurs throughout the entire range of the Swahili sparrow. There is no difference in size between the two species, the gray-headed sparrow is darker on the upper side of the body and has a red-brown rump.
Distribution area
The distribution area of the Swahili sparrow extends in southwest Kenya from Karungu Bay and Lake Elmenteita in a southerly direction over the district of Narok and the Masai Mara to the district of Taveta and to the border of Tanzania. In Tanzania, the distribution area extends from the southern end of Lake Victoria over the Serengeti to Rukwa and the Usangu Plain .
Habitat and way of life
The Swahili sparrow occurs at altitudes between 1000 and 2000 meters, mainly on grassland with isolated shrubs. But it also colonizes sparse forests as well as the fringes of cultivated land and villages and is more frequent than the parrot-billed sparrow in the vicinity of settlements. It is a resident bird, but there are some local migrations during the rainy season. Its diet consists mainly of different seeds. In the vicinity of lodges and guest houses in the game reserves, he occasionally looks for breadcrumbs and similar food scraps.
The nest is a ball nest with a side entrance. It is usually built in tree hollows or in the cavities of buildings. He also uses old, abandoned swallow nests very regularly for his breeding business. However, he has also already been observed throwing nestlings of the maiden swallow ( Cecropis abyssinica ) out of the nest and killing them with beak blows.
Otherwise very little is known about the reproductive biology of the Swahili sparrow. The breeding season in Kenya falls in January and the period April to May. In Tanzania it breeds from January to March and again in May.
literature
- C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
Web links
- Passer suahelicus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2013.