Passer hispaniolensis
Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The Spanish sparrow or willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the Mediterranean region and south-west and central Asia. It is very similar to the closely related house sparrow, and the two species show their close relation in a "biological mix-up" of hybridisation in the Mediterranean region, which complicates the taxonomy of this species.
The Spanish sparrow is a rather large sparrow, at 15–16 cm (6–6.5 in) in length, and 22–36 g (0.78–1.27 oz) in weight. It is slightly larger and heavier than house sparrows, and also has a slightly longer and stouter bill. The male is similar to the house sparrow in plumage, but differs in that its underparts are heavily streaked with black, has a chestnut rather than grey crown, and has white rather than grey cheeks. The female is effectively inseparable from the house sparrow in its basic plumage, which is grey-brown overall but more boldly marked. The female has light streaking on its sides, a pale cream supercilium, and broad cream streaks on its back.
Two subspecies of the Spanish sparrow – the western Spanish sparrow (P. h. hispaniolensis) and eastern Spanish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Sparrow sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 139th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Sparrow in Istanbul on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spanish Sparrow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
17th of 19
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Spanish Sparrow sightings, Istanbul ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Tunis (Tunisia, about 80%), Sincan (Turkey, about 30%) and Marrakesh (Morocco, about 20%).
Same genus: Passer
The closest relatives of the Spanish Sparrow that you can see in Istanbul (genus Passer, True Sparrows) are House Sparrow (about 80%) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spanish Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Istanbul (74 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
