True Sparrows
Passer
Passer is a genus of sparrows, also known as the true sparrows. The genus includes the house sparrow and the Eurasian tree sparrow, some of the most common birds in the world. They are small birds with thick bills for eating seeds, and are mostly coloured grey or brown. Native to the Old World, some species have been introduced throughout the world.
34 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 28 known species
House Sparrow
speciesPasser domesticus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
speciesPasser montanus
Italian Sparrow
speciesPasser italiae
Cape Sparrow
speciesPasser melanurus
Spanish Sparrow
speciesPasser hispaniolensis
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
speciesPasser diffusus
Russet Sparrow
speciesPasser cinnamomeus
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
speciesPasser griseus
Plain-backed Sparrow
speciesPasser flaveolus
Kenya Rufous Sparrow
speciesPasser rufocinctus
Sudan Golden Sparrow
speciesPasser luteus
Desert Sparrow
speciesPasser simplex
Cape Verde Sparrow
speciesPasser iagoensis
Great Rufous Sparrow
speciesPasser motitensis
House × Italian Sparrow
hybridPasser domesticus × italiae
Parrot-billed Sparrow
speciesPasser gongonensis
Swainson's Sparrow
speciesPasser swainsonii
Chestnut Sparrow
speciesPasser eminibey
Sind Sparrow
speciesPasser pyrrhonotus
Swahili Sparrow
speciesPasser suahelicus
Dead Sea Sparrow
speciesPasser moabiticus
Saxaul Sparrow
speciesPasser ammodendri
House × Eurasian Tree Sparrow
hybridPasser domesticus × montanus
Italian × Spanish Sparrow
hybridPasser italiae × hispaniolensis
House × Spanish Sparrow
hybridPasser domesticus × hispaniolensis
Socotra Sparrow
speciesPasser insularis
Shelley's Rufous Sparrow
speciesPasser shelleyi
Somali Sparrow
speciesPasser castanopterus
Arabian Golden Sparrow
speciesPasser euchlorus
Abd' al Kuri Sparrow
speciesPasser hemileucus
Zarudny's Sparrow
speciesPasser zarudnyi
Somali × House Sparrow
hybridPasser castanopterus × domesticus
Kordofan Rufous Sparrow
speciesPasser cordofanicus
Passer hispaniolensis × montanus
hybridPasser hispaniolensis × montanus
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Jan Jonston — Naeukeurige beschryving van de natuur der viervoetige dieren (1660)
Jan Jonston · 1660 · p.151
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.466
Carl Linnaeus — Hortus Cliffortianus (1737)
Carl Linnaeus · 1737 · p.217
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.770
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.804
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.948
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.886
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.542
Books on Marine Fishes
Guillaume Rondelet · 1554 · p.340
Books on Marine Fishes
Guillaume Rondelet · 1554 · p.340
Historiae Animalium Liber III: De Avium Natura
Conrad Gesner · 1555 · p.609
Historiae Animalium Liber III: De Avium Natura
Conrad Gesner · 1555 · p.625
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Passer in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 13847.