Fun Italian Sparrow Facts For Kids

The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) of the Passeridae family, and order Passeriformes, also known as Cisalpine sparrow, is found primarily in Italy and other countries of the Mediterranean region and Crete. These birds of the world belong to the category of small sparrows and have brown and white plumage, which gives them such a cute appearance you will want to hold them more than once! Both sexes have different patterns on their wings and the males have brown crowns and white cheeks. They can be seen in northern Italy, France, Australia, and Austria. This species are urban birds and you can see them living close to human settlements, often building their nests in houses. According to some studies, the population of this species is decreasing and are now under the Vulnerable status according to the IUCN. Due to shortages of insects, agricultural settlements, and urbanization they are facing habitat loss.

Do you have interest in birds and want to know about more of them? Here you can know some amazing facts about Australian bustard and cockatoo.

What type of animal is an Italian sparrow?

The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), belonging to Italy, is a type of small carnivore bird of Passeriformes order.

What class of animal does an Italian sparrow belong to?

This species belongs to the Mammal class, order Passeriformes, and genus Passer. Their scientific name is Passer italiae and these birds of the world a close hybrid to the house sparrow (domesticus) and Spanish sparrow (Hispaniolensis).

How many Italian sparrows are there in the world?

There is no exact number recorded of their population in the world, but you can easily see this sparrow flying through Italian streets as these birds are one of the most common birds in Italy. Their population density is around 58-160 pairs per 1 sq mi (1 sq km) but this been decreasing since 2008.

Where does an Italian sparrow live?

The populations of the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) can be primarily be seen in close contact with humans. They are one of the few birds that can easily live in cities and are very common in the Mediterranean region, the area around Crete and Italy. However, their breeding population is decreasing in these areas now.

What is an Italian sparrow's habitat?

The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) can be called an urban sparrow because of its adaptability to live in cities and urban land near humans. You can also find these birds in agricultural land or small forests where they can easily find food and raw materials for their nests.

Who do Italian sparrows live with?

This bird can be seen flying in flocks as well as roaming alone. There is no particular season when these birds adopt a social behavior, but during the summers, you can see them nesting in groups of a few birds. They also form groups with different species of other small birds of the world living close to their habitat.

How long does an Italian sparrow live?

The range of the lifespan of the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is around two to three years. The population and breeding season of these birds are reducing now due to agricultural expansion and increased problems of urbanization.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding process of the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is initiated by the females by giving a call to the male. They lay four eggs on average but sometimes can nest up to six to seven eggs as well, sometimes depending on the season. The eggs are dull white and brown in color. This bird has an incubation period of about 12 days.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is under the status of Vulnerable (VU). Its population is common in Sicily, Malta, southern and northern Italy, and in the Mediterranean region but is currently declining.

What do Italian sparrows look like?

The brown and pale white body of the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) makes them a little and attractive bird. You can find them around your house also and see their gray and vibrant plumage. The males have upper parts of bright chestnut color and have a black patch on their throat and chest known as a 'bab'. Females are very identical to house sparrows (domesticus) and the male has a head with the same pattern of Spanish sparrows. This species has been recorded hybridizing with the Eurasian tree sparrow.

How cute are they?

This bird is one of the cutest birds of the world. Due to their tiny size and good volume plumage, their appearance looks very appealing. They are related to Spanish sparrows and house sparrows.

How do they communicate?

This bird uses its sweet distinctive call to communicate with the group mates of its flock. Their calling can become more shrill as soon they sense danger around them. You have to listen very patiently to their calls as it sometimes is hidden between the loud noises of the city, especially in summers.

How big is an Italian sparrow?

The Italian sparrow of the family Passeridae is a very small sparrow-like the other birds in the family. They are almost of the same size as the chirping sparrow.

How fast can an Italian sparrow fly?

The exact flying speed of these small attractive birds is not known yet, but their very close hybrid, the house sparrow, has a speed of 28.5 mph (46 kph).

How much does an Italian sparrow weigh?

Being a very small sparrow, Italian sparrows (Passer italiae) of the genus Passer weigh around 1.1 oz (30 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names of the male and female of this species.

What would you call a baby Italian sparrow?

The baby of this bird is called a chick like other sparrows of the family Passeridae.

What do they eat?

This sparrow is a carnivore and the diet of this species consists of different types of seeds from agricultural grounds, grains, discarded food, and insects.

Are they dangerous?

This species is considered to be wild birds while at the same time, being human friendly because they live in urban environments. They are not dangerous to people.

Would they make a good pet?

They can make good pets because they are adapted to live around humans or in urban settlements. Similarly, the house sparrow (domesticus) and Spanish sparrow (hispaniolensis) are also adapted to close human interaction. However, it is illegal in some countries to pet sparrows, so you might want to check beforehand.

Did you know...

The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is a biological indicator of pollution in cities. You can easily observe a decrease in their population as soon as the pollution level of AQI of that area increases. Both males and females tend to leave their nest in those surroundings and migrate to other places.

Why is the Italian sparrow the national bird of Italy?

This bird is very common in Italy and some regions around it. Their population range is very high with a good breeding season especially in the summers. Due to this abundance, the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is considered the national bird of Italy.

What is special about sparrows?

Sparrows have beautiful and melodious chirping voices, which is very pleasant to the ears. Their cute little head and patterned wings are very appealing, like that of a savannah sparrow and vesper sparrow. They keep a check on the population of insects and worms as well and help to maintain their count by eating them.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out the flamingo facts and the secretary bird facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Italian sparrow color pages.