Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/39112
Title: Passer species on Sardinia
Authors: Summers-Smith, Denis
Keywords: Passer -- Sardinia
Birds -- Sardinia
Passeridae
Passeriformes
Issue Date: 1980
Publisher: Malta Ornithological Society
Citation: Summers-Smith, D. (1980). Passer species on Sardinia. Il-Merill, 20, 18-19.
Abstract: Two species of Passer occur on Sardinia,the Spanish Sparrow P. hispaniolensis and the Tree Sparrow P. montanus. Cody (19741 reported observations by Hartmut Walter that in Cagliari, the major city of Sardinia, P. montanus is restricted to the downtown and port area, the more typically urban sparrow P. hlspaniolensis being displaced to the suburbs and countryside. In April 1978 on a brief visit to Naples, which lies on the mainland Italian coast about the same latitude as Sardinia, I found the Tree Sparrow to be occupying the urban 'house sparrow' niche, whereas the Italian Sparrow, which Is normally placed as a sub-species of the House Scarrow P. domesticus, was displaced to the suburbs. The Italian Sparrow P.d. italiae is a stabilised hybrid between P. domesticus and P. hispaniolensis, which at Its northern Limit in the Alps and its southern limit in Calabria and Sicily lntergrades respectively with P.d. domesticus and P.h. hispaniolensis (Meise 19361. Previous observers have found the birds in Sardinia to be almost pure P. hispaniolensis, both in appearance and behavior; In contrast, the birds of Corsica are typical P.d. italiae (Steinbacher 1954, 1956; Cheke 1966). P. hispaniolensis is very closely related to P. domesticus and where the Latter is absent takes over the 'house sparrow' role and is to be found in completely urbanised surroundings (Summers-Smith 1977-78).
Description: Includes figure on page 45
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/39112
Appears in Collections:Il-Merill : issue 20 : 1979
Il-Merill : issue 20 : 1979

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