Rock Sparrow

Petronia petronia (Linnaeus, 1766)

≈17 cmLength30 gWeight

On average, it is slightly larger than House Sparrow, with a thick bill and a yellow throat patch that is difficult to see.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: Spain, Portugal, Morocco

Looks like House Sparrow

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Conspicuous whitish supercilium; weaker median crown-stripe
Large, thick, almost conical bill
A yellow throat patch, difficult to see
Brown back and wings with markings; streaked underparts

Male, female and young

Both sexes have a yellow breast patch; overall plumage is plain and earthy in color.

Voice

Song is loud, with a hissing, wheezy quality.

Similar species

House Sparrow

Rock Sparrow is slightly larger on average, with a distinctly larger, more nearly conical bill.

Where and when it's recorded

Rock Sparrow has been recorded at 274 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 24 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Vallée d'OukaïmedenMorocco863 records
Casares – CastilloSpain819 records
Lagunas de Villafáfila RNat – ÁreaSpain706 records

More places

Balsa de Zolina/EzkorizSpain534 records
Lagunas de AtapuercaSpain429 records
Laguna de Gallocanta RN – ÁreaSpain377 records
Kumisi ReservoirGeorgia356 records
Balsa de LozaSpain324 records
Laguna de Pitillas RN – AreaSpain322 records
Embalse de Las Cañas RNSpain308 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Portugal Morocco Mongolia China Georgia Palestinian Territories Türkiye

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 rock sparrow or rock petronia (Petronia petronia) is a small passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. It is the only species in the genus Petronia. It breeds on barren rocky hills from Madeira and the Canary Islands east through the Iberian Peninsula and western north Africa, across southern Europe and through southwestern and central Asia to Mongolia and the north and west of China.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Rock Sparrow?

The Rock Sparrow is about ≈17 cm long and weighs around 30 g.

Where does the Rock Sparrow live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate to subtropical Palearctic in barren land, open groves and cultivation: Madeira and Canary Islands (central Macaronesia), Iberian Peninsula, south-central France through Turkey, Caucasus, northwestern, southeastern Kazakhstan, south-central Russia and Mongolia to Inner Mongolia (northeastern China); in south from Morocco to northwestern Libya (northwestern, north-central Africa), also Israel, western Jordan, northern Iraq, southern Iran and western Afghanistan through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to northwestern Xinjiang, and Qinghai and Gansu south through Sichuan (northwestern China). It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

When is the best time to see the Rock Sparrow?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Rock Sparrow endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Rock Sparrow as Least Concern.

What does the Rock Sparrow eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Rock Sparrow in?

It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈17 cm
Weight: 30 g
Habitat: Rocky terrain
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 93 mm
Tail: 60 mm
Bill: 16 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: temperate to subtropical Palearctic in barren land, open groves and cultivation: Madeira and Canary Islands (central Macaronesia), Iberian Peninsula, south-central France through Turkey, Caucasus, northwestern, southeastern Kazakhstan, south-central Russia and Mongolia to Inner Mongolia (northeastern China); in south from Morocco to northwestern Libya (northwestern, north-central Africa), also Israel, western Jordan, northern Iraq, southern Iran and western Afghanistan through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to northwestern Xinjiang, and Qinghai and Gansu south through Sichuan (northwestern China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2