- Passer melanurus
Other Names
Deutsch: Kapsperling; Afrikaans: Gewone Mossie
Identification
Length 14-16 cm, mass 20-38 g.
Adult male: Head black with broad white semicircles from behind eyes to side of throat. Nape and mantle greyish, merging into rufous or chestnut back and rump.
Adult female: Similar to the male, but with a grey and white head.
Distribution
South Africa, Lesotho, western Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, coastal south-western Angola, south-western Zimbabwe.
Taxonomy
Passer melanurus has three subspecies:
- P. m. melanurus from much of South Africa;
- P. m. damarensis from Namibia, Botswana, neighbouring parts of South Africa and south-eastern Angola; and
- P. m. vicinus from Lesotho, Swaziland and highlands of South Africa.
Habitat
The Cape Sparrow lives in dry areas of southern Africa like the arid and semi-arid savanna, dry woodland along drainage lines and seasonal watercourses; also croplands, plantations and copses of alien trees, parks and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
Forages mainly on the ground for seeds and insects, but also takes fruits, seeds and nectar directly from plants.
Reproduction
The Cape Sparrow nests singly, or in loose colonies (up to 100 pairs; up to 15 nests in one tree). The nest is an untidy mass of grass and other plant material with a tunnel entrance and is thickly lined with feathers or soft plant material. Laying usually August to March (2-6 eggs).
References
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
