Sahel bush sparrow

Last updated

Sahel bush sparrow
Bush petronia (Gymnoris dentata dentata) male.jpg
Bush petronia (Gymnoris dentata dentata) female.jpg
Male (top image) and females in Senegal (below)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Gymnoris
Species:
G. dentata
Binomial name
Gymnoris dentata
(Sundevall, 1850)
Synonyms
  • Gymnornis dentata
  • Petronia dentata
  • Xanthodira dentata

The Sahel bush sparrow (Gymnoris dentata) or bush petronia, is a species of bird in the family Passeridae. It is found in Africa from Mauritania to Guinea and east to Eritrea and the south-western Arabian Peninsula in its natural habitats of dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Contents

Description

The Sahel bush sparrow is a small bird with a large, conical beak and a short tail. It grows to a length of about 13 cm (5 in). The male has a grey crown, a wide but ill-defined reddish-brown supercilium and greyish-brown face and throat, surrounding the creamy-white bib. The male's beak is black during the breeding season but horn-coloured during the rest of the year. The plumage on the upper parts and tail is mainly brown, with no white on the tail. The upper throat has an ill-defined yellowish spot and the breast is creamy-buff, becoming whiter on the belly. The female is similar, but has a better-defined white supercilium, brownish rather than grey crown and face, horn-coloured beak all year round and two white wing bars. The juvenile is similar to the female. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This bush sparrow is found in suitable habitat in a broad belt across the Sahel region of Africa, its range extending from Senegal to Eritrea and Yemen. Its habitat is typically semi-arid savannah with scattered trees and cultivated clearings near settlements, at altitudes up to about 1,700 m (5,600 ft). [3]

Status

This species has an extremely wide range and is described as common in some parts of its range. The population seems to be steady and no specific threats have been identified, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

Isabelline wheatear Species of bird

The isabelline wheatear is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher in the family Muscicapidae. It is a migratory insectivorous bird. Its habitat is steppe and open countryside and it breeds in southern Russia and Central Asia to northern Pakistan, wintering in Africa and northwestern India. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

Rufous-tailed scrub robin Species of bird

The rufous-tailed scrub robin is a medium-sized member of the family Muscicapidae. Other common names include the rufous scrub robin, rufous bush chat, rufous bush robin and the rufous warbler. It breeds around the Mediterranean and east to Pakistan. It also breeds south of the Sahara from the Sahel region east to Somalia; these African birds are sometimes considered to be a separate species, the African scrub robin. It is partially migratory, wintering in Africa and India. This is a very rare visitor to northern Europe.

Stresemanns bushcrow Species of bird

Stresemann's bushcrow, also known as the Abyssinian pie, bush crow, Ethiopian bushcrow, or by its generic name Zavattariornis, is a rather starling-like bird, which is currently thought to be member of the crow family, Corvidae, though this is uncertain. It is slightly larger than the North American blue jay and is a bluish-grey in overall colour which becomes almost white on the forehead. The throat and chest are creamy-white with the tail and wings a glossy black. The black feathers have a tendency to bleach to brown at their tips. The iris of the bird is brown and the eye is surrounded by a band of naked bright blue skin. The bill, legs, and feet are black.

Chestnut sparrow Species of bird

The chestnut sparrow is a species of passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. It is the smallest member of the sparrow family, at about 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The breeding male has deep chestnut plumage and the female and juvenile are coloured a duller grey with some chestnut markings. Like its closest relatives in the genus Passer, the Arabian golden sparrow and the Sudan golden sparrow, it is gregarious and found in arid areas. Ranging through the east of Africa from Darfur in Sudan to Tanzania, it is found in dry savanna, papyrus swamps, and near human habitation. Adults and juveniles both feed mostly on grass seeds, and fly in flocks, often with other species of birds, to find food. It nests in trees, building its own domed nests, and also usurping the more elaborate nests of weavers.

Japanese pygmy woodpecker Species of bird

The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in coniferous and deciduous forests in Russia, China, Korea and Japan. This species has also been placed in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

White-browed coucal Species of bird

The white-browed coucal or lark-heeled cuckoo, is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It inhabits areas with thick cover afforded by rank undergrowth and scrub, including in suitable coastal regions. Burchell's coucal is sometimes considered a subspecies.

African cuckoo Species of bird

The African cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where it migrates within the continent, generally arriving and breeding in any one locality during the rainy season. A fairly common bird, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Tumbes sparrow Species of bird

The Tumbes sparrow is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Red-rumped bush tyrant Species of bird

The red-rumped bush tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the only one in the genus Cnemarchus. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.

Yellow-spotted bush sparrow Species of bird

The yellow-spotted bush sparrow or yellow-spotted petronia is a species of bird in the sparrow family, Passeridae.

Spotted barbtail Species of bird

The spotted barbtail is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Black-tailed leaftosser Species of bird

The black-tailed leaftosser is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests.

Collared bush robin Species of bird

The collared bush robin or Johnstone's robin is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Taiwan, living in montane and subalpine forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

Little grey woodpecker Species of bird

The little grey woodpecker, also known as the Sahelian woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. This species is described as somewhat rare, but it has a very large range and the population appears to be steady, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Stierlings woodpecker Species of bird

Stierling's woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania where its natural habitat is tropical dry forests in the Eastern miombo woodlands ecoregion. It is threatened by habitat destruction. The bird is named in honour of the German bird collector N. Stierling.

Bearded woodpecker Species of bird

The bearded woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fairly common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos.

Blood-colored woodpecker Species of bird

The blood-colored woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae, the woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks. It is found only in the Guianan countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, on the Atlantic shoreline region in a narrow coastal strip, 140–180 km wide. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and heavily degraded former forest. It is a fairly common species with a restricted range, but the population seems stable and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Gymnoris dentata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  2. Porter, Richard; Aspinall, Simon (2010). Birds of the Middle East. A&C Black. p. 374. ISBN   978-0-7136-7602-0.
  3. Summers-Smith, D. (2019). "Sahel Bush-sparrow (Gymnoris dentata)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 31 May 2019.