| Sudan Golden Sparrow | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Suborder: | Passeri |
| Infraorder: | Passerida |
| Superfamily: | Passeroidea |
| Family: | Passeridae |
| Genus: | Passer |
| Species: | P. luteus |
| Binomial name | |
| Passer luteus (Lichtenstein, 1823) |
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The Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus) is a small bird in the sparrow family, found to the south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. It is a popular cage bird, and in aviculture it is known as the Golden Song Sparrow. The Arabian Golden Sparrow and this species are sometimes considered one species, the Golden Sparrow.
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The Sudan Golden Sparrow is a smaller sparrow, at 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length, with a wingspan of 5.7–7 cm (2.2–2.8 in). Males are distinctive in their bright yellow head and underparts, deep chestnut brown wings and back, and two white wingbars. In the breeding season the male's plumage is brighter still, and the bill changes colour from horn to shiny black. Females are pale sandy-buff with yellowish face, light brown wings, a back faintly streaked with chestnut, and pale yellow fading to whitish on the underparts. Juveniles are similar to females, but greyer.[2] After about 10 weeks young males may start to get a yellow wash around the shoulder area. Its basic call is a chirp or tchirrup, similar to that of other sparrows. Variations include a song-like call, and a rapid rhythmic che-che-che.[2][3]
The phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena and colleagues.[4][5]
It breeds across Africa to the south of the Sahara from Senegal east to Sudan and Ethiopia. It is a bird of dry open savanna, semi-desert, arid scrub and cereal cultivation.[2][6]
The Sudan Golden Sparrow is a highly gregarious and nomadic bird and will form mixed flocks with other seed-eating birds, such as Red-billed Quelea, and other sparrows. Evening roosts, often in cities like Khartoum, may number hundreds of thousands of birds. It eats seeds and takes some insects, especially when feeding young.[2] In captivity it is fed the mixture of foxtail millet and other grains with vegetables, mealworms, and other supplements usually fed to weavers.[6] It breeds in large colonies and builds a very large, untidy, domed nest of twigs in a tree. The feather-lined nest chamber holds a typical clutch of three to four dark-spotted white eggs.
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