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Message: <blockquote data-quote="macrourus" data-source="post: 3002053" data-attributes="member: 43747">we write down always Sicitalian ( a Brian J Small nicname for Sicilian mixed populations!!) the situation of Passer sp. in Sicily is a huge mess and very complex matterAccordingly to recent literature, we should have Passer hispaniolensis maltae (Hartert, 1903) .... then, in my book Avifauna di Sicilia I have studied the problem and reported that in Sicily we have : 1) pure Spanish as migrant, wintering and partially breeding species; 2)  pure Italian as breeding and wandering bird, mainly in Northern Sicily; 3) and then mixed Spanish x Italian that indeed is maltae !!   in fact, maltae should be revalued accordingly , also after study in N Africa (see for ex Bannerman in Tunisia etc.) Recently, the situation has been further complicated, as on a genetic study of Italian sparrows, by Hermansen, et al. 2011 and by Trier et al 2014 shown that their samples from Sicily, even inland Sicily were reportedly poure Italians !! Well, very much complicated indeed....as many other taxa in Sicily <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  the Centre of the entire Mare Nostrum ;-)</blockquote>