Rufous Sparrow

Taxobox
name = Rufous Sparrow
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Passeridae
genus = "Passer"
species = "P. motitensis"
binomial = "Passer motitensis"
binomial_authority = Smith, 1836The Rufous Sparrow, Southern Rufous Sparrow or in South Africa the Great Sparrow, "Passer motitensis", is found in Africa in dry, wooded savannah and towns.

This is a 15-16 cm long sparrow superficially like a large House Sparrow. It has a grey crown and rear neck and rufous upperparts.

The taxonomy of this species is confused. The forms "insularis" and "rufocinctus" are often split as the Socotra Sparrow and Kenya Rufous Sparrow respectively, but are also lumped into "P. motitensis" following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993).

Some authorities also split the East Africa form "shelleyi" as Shelley's Rufous Sparrow and Sudanese "cordofanicus" as Kordofan Rufous Sparrow.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, "SASOL Birds of Southern Africa" (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
* Clement, Harris and Davis, "Finches and Sparrows" ISBN 0-7136-8017-2