Spanish Sparrow

Spanish Sparrow

Passer hispaniolensis

Silhouette: Andrew Butko (modified) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
at Tunis

In 3 days >90%

128 Verified sightings at Tunis
1,650 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Spanish Sparrow

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 →

Sounds

Song0:29

Croatia · 2026

© Branislav Oblučar · XC1147264 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:08

Cyprus · 2024

© David Tattersley · XC891558 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:27

Kazakhstan · 2023

© Ding Li Yong · XC815265 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
2 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
3 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
4 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tunis 🇹🇳 Tunisia
~80%
2 Sincan 🇹🇷 Turkey
~30%
3 Marrakesh 🇲🇦 Morocco
~20%
4 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~10%
5 Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~10%
6 Kuwait City 🇰🇼 Kuwait
~10%
7 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~10%
8 Mashhad 🇮🇷 Iran
~10%
9 Cairo 🇪🇬 Egypt
~10%
10 Rabat 🇲🇦 Morocco
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Spanish Sparrow in Tunis?

Very likely

About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Sparrow sighting in Tunis on a given day, based on 128 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 86 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Spanish Sparrow in Tunis?

February

In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Sparrow in Tunis on a given day, against about 60% in September and December, the lowest months. August has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Spanish Sparrow?

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.

Is Tunis the best place to see a Spanish Sparrow?

Yes

Of the 19 cities where we can rate Spanish Sparrow sightings, Tunis has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Sincan (Turkey, about 30%) and Marrakesh (Morocco, about 20%).

Where does the Spanish Sparrow sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Spanish Sparrow is recorded against all the birds logged in Tunis (128 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.

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