Russet Sparrow

Passer cinnamomeus (Gould, 1836)

≈14 cmLength18 gWeight

This sturdy small sparrow has rufous-brown upperparts and a small black throat patch in the male.

Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Bhutan, India

Looks like Eurasian Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male's crown to back chestnut
Male with a small black throat patch and black around the eye
Male with a thin white supercilium separating crown from area around the eye
Male's cheeks and sides of neck grayish-white; underparts pale gray or tinged yellow

Male, female and young

The female is brown from head to back, with a distinct pale yellow supercilium and brown eyestripe, and no black line down the center of the throat; juveniles resemble the female but have a yellow bill.

Voice

Calls are sweet and musical; the basic call is a single-syllable “cheep” or “chilp”.

Similar species

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

The male is easily confused with Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which has black cheek patches and a rufous back.

House Sparrow

The female closely resembles female House Sparrow but has slightly darker feathers with a rufous-brown tinge.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Bhutan, India

Russet Sparrow has been recorded at 512 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

SattalIndia889 records
PangotIndia464 records
Izumi – Izumi Crane Observation CenterJapan216 records

More places

West Tianmu Mountain NNRChina198 records
Dochula PassBhutan190 records
Dongzhai NNRChina179 records
Phobjikha ValleyBhutan168 records
Lingshan Scenic AreaChina137 records
Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia131 records
Tharpaling MonasteryBhutan126 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Bhutan India Japan Nepal Myanmar (Burma)Pakistan South Korea

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 russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus), also called the cinnamon or cinnamon tree sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. A chunky little seed-eating bird with a thick bill, it has a body length of 14 to 15 cm (5.5–5.9 in). Its plumage is mainly warm rufous above and grey below.

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

Questions

How big is the Russet Sparrow?

The Russet Sparrow is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Russet Sparrow live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: temperate to subtropical central, eastern Asian woodland, settlements: Himalayas from northeastern Afghanistan to southeastern Tibet, northern Myanmar and hills south of Brahmaputra, through central, eastern China (except northern) and northern Southeast Asia to southern Sakhalin (southeastern Russia), southern Kuril Islands, Hokkaido to central Honshu (northern, central Japan), Korean Peninsula and Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in China, Bhutan and India.

When is the best time to see the Russet Sparrow?

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

Is the Russet Sparrow endangered?

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

What does the Russet Sparrow eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Russet Sparrow in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈14 cm
Weight: 18 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 69 mm
Tail: 50 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

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

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: temperate to subtropical central, eastern Asian woodland, settlements: Himalayas from northeastern Afghanistan to southeastern Tibet, northern Myanmar and hills south of Brahmaputra, through central, eastern China (except northern) and northern Southeast Asia to southern Sakhalin (southeastern Russia), southern Kuril Islands, Hokkaido to central Honshu (northern, central Japan), Korean Peninsula and Taiwan (China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 3

Passer cinnamomeus cinnamomeus montane ne Afghanistan through Himalayas and s Tibet | non-breeding: to lower elevations
Passer cinnamomeus intensior montane ne India, Myanmar, s China and n Indochina | non-breeding: to lower elevations and short-range migrant to s
Passer cinnamomeus rutilans nc, e China, Sakhalin (se Russia), Kuril Is., Hokkaido to c Honshu (n, c Japan), Korean Pen. and Taiwan (China) | non-breeding: to Kyushu (s Japan)