- Passer euchlorus
Identification
12 - 13cm.
Male
- Golden yellow plumage
- Paler yellow upperwing-coverts with greyish inner webs
- Black flight-feathers with whitish edges
- Black tail feathers with broad white edges
- Dark brown eye
- Flesh-coloured to creamy bill, black in breeding season
Female
- Pale buff or sandy grey plumage
- Wings and tail similar to male
Juveniles are similar to females but have a faint spotting on the upperparts
Distribution
Found in the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) and adjacent Djibouti and extreme coastal northwest Somalia. The presence in Africa is the result of a recent expansion, possibly resulting from escaped cagebirds.
Common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
This taxon is considered a subspecies of Sudan Golden Sparrow by some authors[2]. Both species were formerly placed in the genus Auripasser and form a superspecies.
Habitat
Thorn savanna and scrub habitats. Usually close to cultivated land.
Behaviour
A gregarious species, foraging in small flocks. Outside breeding season in large flocks of thousands of birds.
Diet
Feeds on seeds of grasses and cereals.
Breeding
Breeding recorded from March to July in Yemen. A colonial breeder with 20 to 30 nests in one tree. The nest is an oval dome with a side entrance, made with acacia twigs and plant fibres. It's placed in a tree, mainly acacias. Lays 4 - 6 eggs.
Movements
A sedentary species with some local movements outside breeding season.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Arabian Golden Sparrow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Arabian_Golden_Sparrow
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
