| Rock sparrow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| NominateP. p. petronia inCatalonia, Spain | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Passeridae |
| Genus: | Petronia Kaup, 1829 |
| Species: | P. petronia |
| Binomial name | |
| Petronia petronia (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Therock sparrow orrock petronia (Petronia petronia) is a smallpasserine bird in the sparrow familyPasseridae. It is theonly species in thegenusPetronia. It breeds on barren rocky hills from Madeira and the Canary Islands east through theIberian Peninsula and western north Africa, across southern Europe and through southwestern and central Asia to Mongolia and the north and west of China. It is resident in the west of its range, but some Asian birds maymigrate to more southerly areas, or move to lower altitudes in mountains, in winter.
The firstformal description of the rock sparrow was by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in 1766 in thetwelfth edition of hisSystema Naturae. He introduced thebinomial nameFringilla petronia.[2] It is now the only species in the genusPetronia that was described by the German naturalistJohann Jakob Kaup in 1829.[3][4]Petronia is a local name for the rock sparrow from theBologna area of Italy.[5]
Sevensubspecies are recognised:[4]
Several other species were previously classified underPetronia, but are now placed in the related generaGymnoris (yellow-throated bush sparrowP. superciliaris, nowGymnoris superciliaris;Sahel bush sparrowP. dentata, nowGymnoris dentata, andyellow-throated sparrowP. xanthocollis, nowGymnoris xanthocollis) andCarpospiza (pale rockfinchP. brachydactyla, nowCarpospiza brachydactyla).[4]
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The rock sparrow is 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in) in length, on average slightly larger ahouse sparrow, and with a conspicuously larger, more conical bill.[6][7] It has a strong whitishsupercilium and weaker crown stripe. It has a patterned brown back and wings, streaked underparts, and a diagnostic, but hard-to-see, yellow throat spot. It is largely monochromatic, with a distinctive yellow patch on their upper breast that starkly contrasts the earth tones of their plumage. Thiscarotenoid-based trait is present in both sexes, and plays an important role during the breeding season, signalling both attractiveness and social status.[8] This bird has a loud wheezy song.
It is a very rare vagrant north of its breeding range. There is just a single record from Great Britain, atCley,Norfolk on 14 June 1981.[9] This gregarious bird is also found in human settlements in suitable country.
It nests in crevices in rocks or walls, laying four to fiveeggs.[10] Rock sparrows exhibit a variety of mating patterns, most notably monogamy and sequential and simultaneouspolyandry; however, social monogamy is the most abundant mating pattern. The frequencies of these various mating patterns most likely vary with numerous ecological and social factors. Many studies have shown that both males and females prefer a mate with a larger yellow patch. It has also been shown that male brood defence behaviour increases with greater female ornamentation. Males also differentially allocate parental investment according to female ornamentation; this behaviour is not observed in females. In alpine colonies ofPetronia petronia, females perform most of the provisioning. In Asian colonies, both males and females contribute equally to the care of the young. Males of larger sizes feed their young at higher rates, which suggests that larger males occupy better territories and/or are better fathers. Studies have found a positive correlation between male yellow breast patch size and nestling tarsus length, which suggests that more ornamented males are also better parents. Females increase the number of non-feeding visits to their nest as the season progresses, suggesting that because females have lesser opportunities to lay other clutches, it is most advantageous to support the survival of their current offspring. A positive relationship between the number of deserting females and the number of available males has been recorded.[8]
The rock sparrow mainly forages on the ground. It eats seeds throughout the year and berries in autumn. In the spring its diet includes invertebrates, particularly caterpillars and grasshoppers. These are also fed to the young.[11]
