From Opus
Alternative name: Shelley's Rufous Sparrow; White Nile Rufous Sparrow
- Passer shelleyi
[edit] Identification
13 - 15cm.
- Blue grey crown to upper mantle, ear-coverts and cheek
- Black lores, chin and throat
- Broad chestnut band extending from above eye around rear of ear-coverts and on neck side forward, black line underneath
- Rufous chestnut lower mantle to upertail-coverts, streaked black on mantle and uper back
- Blackish to dark brown upperwing
- White tips on median coverts
- Dark brown tail
- Greyish underparts
- Horn-coloured bill, blackish in breeding season
[edit] Female
- Similar to male but much duller
- Dark grey bib
- Chestnut replaced by buff
Juveniles are similar to females but they look paler and washed-out.
[edit] Similar species
Smaller than Great Sparrow. Note also paler eye, greyer face and more grey on neck and mantle (especially in nominate).
[edit] Distribution
Found in southeast Sudan, northeast Uganda, western Kenya, southern and eastern Ethiopia and northwest Somalia.
Common in Ethiopia and Uganda, rare in Kenya.
[edit] Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
It has been considered conspecific with Kenya Sparrow and Kordofan Sparrow in the past.
[edit] Habitat
Open grassy savanna with trees, also in adjacent semi-deserts and light woodland. Does not penetrate into villages and associate with humans. Occurs from 1000 - 1700m.
[edit] Behaviour
Little information on diet, feeds probably on seeds and insects.
Feeds mainly on ground.
Breeds from September to November and March to June in loose colonies. The nest is a dome with a side entrance made of grasses and placed in a tree. Takes sometimes abandonend nests of weavers. Lays 3 - 6 eggs.
[edit] References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
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