Description:

Medium sized sparrow, with chestnut mantle and black streaks on chest and flanks. Male has chestnut crown, black breast and streaking on flanks, and blackish mantle with pale 'braces'; pattern obscured by pale fringes in non-breeding season. Female very similar to House Sparrow.

Distribution:

Common passage migrant and winter visitor in the western half of Gilgit-Baltistan, very rare in the east. Occurs around cultivated areas, trees and shrubs near water; also in semi-desert, marshes and reed-beds. Normally in lowlands, but up to 2800m.

Behavior:

May capture insects by searching on ground or among leaves of bushes and trees. Generally in small to large flocks. Feeds principally on vegetable matter, mainly seeds of grasses, cultivated crops and low herbs, but invertebrates taken throughout year. Insects eaten are mainly caterpillars, grasshoppers and flying ants; beetles apparently less important.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Spanish Sparrow in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Spanish Sparrow

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.