Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
Species: hispaniolensis
Description
The Spanish Sparrow is a bird that was introduced into Madeira, and it is marked by an accentuated sexual dimorphism. The male has a cap the colour of chocolate, with a white stripe over the eye, the throat and breast being black. Its cheeks are white and there are white stripes on its black dorsum. The colour of the female is lighter and more uniform, a grey-brown colour, with a striped flank and darker wings. It also has a yellow superciliary stripe.
Distribution
The population distribution of this species covers the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. It used to be very abundant on Madeira, but its population has diminished drastically on the island, and it is difficult to find today. The species is quite abundant on Porto Santo.
Habitat
It is an anthrophilous species that uses the habitats made available in urban areas, such as gardens and public squares. It is also found in farming areas, mainly where abandoned fields coexist with creeping vegetation.
Breeding
This species breeds in large colonies, building its dome-shaped nest in trees,. The female lays from 3 to 7 eggs. The young hatch in 12 days, and they fed by the breeding pair for two weeks before leaving the nest. A breeding pair raises one to three broods between the months of April and July.
Curiosities
The Spanish Sparrow was introduced into the Island of Madeira from the Canary Islands, probably brought here by strong winds, or even by Man. Normally, a bird which comes from an area where it cohabited with many other species and arrives in a new area where it finds ideal conditions for survival becomes more aggressive and competitive than the local species. So, when the Spanish Sparrow arrived to this new habitat, it came across the Rock Sparrow and set about to drive it out, at least from the city of Funchal. This is one of the reasons given to explain the large decline in the population of the Rock Sparrow.
Madeiran name: Pardal Espanhol
Madeira and Porto Santo Islands
Social: Flocks
Length: 14 – 16 cm
Status: Secure
