Rock sparrow

    Petronia petronia

Castilian: Gorrión chillón

Catalan: Pardal roquer

Gallego: Pardal das rochas

Euskera: Harkaitz-txolarrea

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Passeridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is not a threatened species if we exclude the Canary Islands, where it is being displaced by the Spanish sparrow.

Length / size: 15-17 cm / 28-32 cm

Identification: Large, robust sparrow whose head is wide, its bill strong and its crown pale brown. Its back is greyish-brown with black stripes, while its breast and underparts are lighter and have brownish-grey stripes. It has a characteristic yellow spot under its throat, which is not visible if the bird remains stooped; it also has three wide bands on the side of its head, with the greyish one that is behind the eye being the lightest one.

Song: It makes a short, high-pitched "sleh-veet" or "tveewooeet".

Diet: In autumn it feeds on seeds and fruits. In spring it primarily searches for insects in order to feed its chicks.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in April. The female builds the nest using different materials and places them in rock walls, old trees or other species' nests, such as those of bee-eaters and sand martins. The female incubates the eggs, but both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

It avoids thick forests and shows a preference for steppe or farming areas with isolated trees, rocky areas and banks nearby. It usually occupies low elevation areas.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is spread out across the entire peninsula, except in the north and in Galicia. In the southwestern quadrant, fragmented populations can be found.

In Castile and León: Unevenly distributed throughout all the provinces, with the highest densities located in León, Salamanca and Soria.

Movements and migrations: It is a resident species in the peninsula. In winter it may migrate to warmer areas.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 80000-110000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: