Stone Sparrow - description, habitat, interesting facts

The stone sparrow is understood as the representative of the passerine squad, which prefers to dwell in the rocky terrain. In terms of their external features, the birds are somewhat similar to common sparrows, there are only differences in the shade of plumage, voice and habitat. Some individuals may be nomads, others lead a sedentary life without flying to warm lands.

Description and habitat

1. These individuals grow up to 14 cm in height by the body, while their wingspan is about 30 cm. Body weight varies between 25 and 33 grams. If we consider the color of the plumage, then brownish, brown, gray shades and dark spots predominate.
2. In terms of their color, the feathers of a sparrow of this type are somewhat similar to house sparrows. In the area of ​​the head there is a spot of creamy white tone and stripes. The tail is square in format. At the tips of the wings there are specks in the shape of an oval.
3. The chest is decorated with a yellow speck. In the male, this lemon shade is highly developed, the females are duller. With regard to differences in gender, it is not in other aspects.
4. The tail of birds is decorated with white trim. These sparrows are not much more than usual, but the magnitude is still different. With regards to the plumage of males with females, there is not much difference.
5. Earlier it was said that these sparrows prefer to be located in places with slopes and stones. They love rocks and all similar places. You can find individuals in arid zones, up to the stone deserts with rare trees.
6. Representatives of the group live in a mountainous area, the height of which sometimes reaches 2,000 meters. There are birds in the fields with cereals and grains. They like arid climatic regions with a special landscape.
7. These birds seek out free buildings, then they are settled. They are also present in the grove with olive bushes, on grape plants and among chestnuts. They love steppe, forest-steppe, clay terrain and precipices.

Lifestyle

1. Individuals of the group under discussion prefer to live in small families. They are sometimes found even singly or in pairs.If they live on stones, they do not fly, but move quickly on their paws.
2. By the nature of the flight, we can say that individuals fly confidently and quickly, but not in a straight line. Their wingspan allows you to perform various maneuvers. When the wings are in expanded form, they seem to be quite large.
3. As for the voice, these sparrows seem to meow. Thus they communicate with each other. On land run fast. When spring comes, the male occupies territory and quietly, shortly, unclearly sings.

Breeding

1. The considered individuals are polygamous birds. In the mating season, up to 4 females may fall on one male. In the middle of spring individuals start building a dwelling. As a result, the nest is quite loose. The stalks of cereals and various thin branches are used as building materials.
2. The bottom of the dwelling is lined with hair or animal hair, down and plant fibers. In most cases, the birds in question try to place the nest in abandoned burrows. Over time, the female is able to bring a maximum of 7 eggs. The shell has a beige color.
3. At the same time there are variegated patches on the eggs. The female is engaged in vidice offspring about 2 weeks. After that, she begins to feed them insects. The young growth becomes on a wing after 3 weeks. After that, he leaves the nest.

Interesting Facts

1. An adult can weigh no more than 35 grams. The birds in question are part of a passerine group, which still has about 5,000 species of birds. One of the largest is the raven. The smallest is the kinglet.
2. On the whole earth there are more than 1 billion of such birds. The name of the sparrows came to us from the Old Slavonic language. Birds often stole various products. In addition, presented birds often coo, chirp.
3. It is quite simple to distinguish a male from a female, in the first case the bird has a large black spot. It can be seen on the goiter, chin, throat and upper chest. Also, males have a dark gray color on their heads.

The considered individuals are rather interesting feathered. They have a relatively short lifespan. Only in rare cases, birds live to 10 years. Most of the individuals die, not having lived the first winter.Because of this feature, it can be said that sparrows live on average from several months to 2 years. In addition, the birds have a very frequent heartbeat, because of the strong fright, the sparrow can simply die.