Saxaul sparrow

Saxaul sparrow

The saxaul sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in parts of Central Asia. At 14–16 centimetres and 25–32 grams, it is among the larger sparrows. Both sexes have plumage ranging from dull grey to sandy brown, and pale brown legs. Females have less boldly coloured plumage and bills, lacking the pattern of black stripes on the male’s head.

About Saxaul sparrow in brief

Summary Saxaul sparrowThe saxaul sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in parts of Central Asia. At 14–16 centimetres and 25–32 grams, it is among the larger sparrows. Both sexes have plumage ranging from dull grey to sandy brown, and pale brown legs. Females have less boldly coloured plumage and bills, lacking the pattern of black stripes on the male’s head. Vocalisations include a comparatively soft and musical chirping call, a song, and a flight call. Three subspecies are recognised, differing in the overall tone of their plumage, and in the head striping of the female. Though it has lost parts of its range to habitat destruction caused by agriculture, it’s not seriously threatened by human activities. The male saxaul Sparrow has bold markings, with a black stripe along the top of its head and another through its eye. It has black feathering, or a \”bib\”, on its throat and upper belly, and is thin on the nape on the sides of the breast. The female is slightly paler in some ways, but similar in some other ways to the male in the male. It feeds mostly on seeds, as well as insects while breeding and as a nestling. Two clutches of five or six eggs are typically laid in a season.

Both parents construct the nest and care for their eggs and young. Birds of the subspecies ammodendri are a sandy grey, while nigricans birds are similar but darker, and stoliczkae birds are warm brown or russet. Birds in Mongolia have a larger and deeper bill and broad bluish streaks on their chest. By comparison, the male has a bright russett patch on its crown and its cheeks are pale or buff, and its underparts are whitish or buff. Its back is grey, tinged or warm brown, streaked with black on its sides. Its tarsus length of 1.95 inches and its bill is 1. 0–1. 3 centimetre long, pale grey on the juvenile, pale yellowish with ablack tip on the breeding female, and black on thebreeding male. Its wing length varies from 7. 1 to 8. 1centimetres, with males generally being larger. The tail is short at 6. 3–6. 95 centimetRES. The saxaulSparrow’s legs are pale pinkish brown, with the tarsUS length of 1. 95 inches. Its bill is 0-1.3 centimetrem long and pale grey. Its median coverts are black with a white tip, while its other wing feathers are black, tipped with white.