Bird Album
Desert Sparrow
Passer simplex (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
20 gWeight
The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, found in the Sahara Desert of northern Africa.
Busiest months: March · Most records: Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania
Where and when it's recorded
Desert Sparrow has been recorded at 13 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Erg Chebbi – nordMorocco279 records
- Erg Chebbi – MerzougaMorocco178 records
- Oued JennaWestern Sahara61 records
More places
- Dayet SrijMorocco13 records
- Gleb JdianeWestern Sahara11 records
- Palmeraie d'IgraneMorocco8 records
- Parc National di Banc d'ArguinMauritania2 records
- ) | Gorges du TodraMorocco2 records
- AgadezNiger1 record
- Lac AlegMauritania1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, found in the Sahara Desert of northern Africa. A similar bird, Zarudny's sparrow, is found in Central Asia and was historically recognised as a subspecies of the desert sparrow, but varies in a number of ways and is now recognised as a separate species by BirdLife International, the IOC World Bird List, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Desert Sparrow?
The Desert Sparrow weighs around 20 g.
Where does the Desert Sparrow live?
Its breeding range: Africa: northern Africa in Saharan oases, wadis and towns: southeastern Morocco east to central, southeastern Libya, south through Mauritania and east to central Sudan. It is most often recorded in Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania.
When is the best time to see the Desert Sparrow?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Desert Sparrow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Desert Sparrow as Least Concern.
What does the Desert Sparrow eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Desert Sparrow in?
It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 20 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 76 mm
- Tail
- 55 mm
- Bill
- 12 mm
- Tarsus
- 20 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: northern Africa in Saharan oases, wadis and towns: southeastern Morocco east to central, southeastern Libya, south through Mauritania and east to central Sudan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Passeridae
- Genus
- Passer
Other birds in the genus Passer
Cape SparrowPasser melanurus
Chestnut SparrowPasser eminibey
Kordofan SparrowPasser cordofanicus
Shelley's SparrowPasser shelleyi
Kenya SparrowPasser rufocinctus
Great SparrowPasser motitensis
Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus
Swainson's SparrowPasser swainsonii
Swahili SparrowPasser suahelicus
Parrot-billed SparrowPasser gongonensis
Southern Grey-headed SparrowPasser diffusus
Sind SparrowPasser pyrrhonotus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by David F. Belmonte. ↗
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