Saxaul Sparrow

Passer ammodendri Gould, 1872

≈16 cmLength29 gWeight

The male has a single black crown stripe flanked by bright chestnut.

Busiest months: June · Most records: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male with one black crown stripe and one black eyestripe
Male with bright chestnut sides of crown and nape
Male's cheeks pale gray or yellowish-brown

Male, female and young

The female is paler and lacks the male's black head stripes.

Voice

Often gives a soft, melodious “cheerp cheerp”; in flight, a “twerp”.

Where and when it's recorded

Saxaul Sparrow has been recorded at 21 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Khongorin ElsMongolia112 records
Ile River Delta – Zheltorangy Poplars;Kazakhstan89 records
BeishawoChina39 records

More places

Ile River Delta – Topar Lakes;Kazakhstan19 records
ToudaoshaziChina16 records
Ulungur Lake – EastChina14 records
Alik LakeChina13 records
Taukum DesertKazakhstan12 records
Khoyor modny Well, Khovsgol, Dornogovi, MNMongolia11 records
Urho Poplar ForestChina4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Kazakhstan Mongolia China Uzbekistan

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 saxaul sparrow (Passer ammodendri) is a passerine bird of the sparrow family (Passeridae), found in parts of Central Asia. At 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in) and 25–32 grams (0.88–1.13 oz), it is among the larger range of sparrows. The head markings of both sexes make the saxaul sparrow distinctive and unlikely to be confused with any other bird.

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

Questions

How big is the Saxaul Sparrow?

The Saxaul Sparrow is about ≈16 cm long and weighs around 29 g.

Where does the Saxaul Sparrow live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate central Palearctic in saxaul and riparian scrub, fields: patchily southern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and southern, central Mongolia, southern in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to northern Gansu, western Inner Mongolia and northern Ningxia (north-central China). It is most often recorded in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.

When is the best time to see the Saxaul Sparrow?

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

Is the Saxaul Sparrow endangered?

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

What does the Saxaul Sparrow eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Saxaul Sparrow in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈16 cm
Weight: 29 g
Habitat: Desert
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 77 mm
Tail: 67 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate central Palearctic in saxaul and riparian scrub, fields: patchily southern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and southern, central Mongolia, southern in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to northern Gansu, western Inner Mongolia and northern Ningxia (north-central China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2