Photo copyright: AS/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Ngorongoro Crater • Oct 2009

Bird name: Rufous Tailed Weaver
Latin: Histurgops ruficauda
Other: Histurgops ruficaudus
Family: Passeridae • Old World Sparrows

Some nice pics of a Rufous-tailed Weaver in Ngorongoro. The Rufous-tailed Weaver is endemic to Kenya and Tanzania.
More photos...

Photo copyright: A/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Angola • Nov 2009

Bird name: Grey Headed Sparrow
Latin: Passer griseus
Other: Northern Grey Headed Sparrow, Gray-headed Sparrow
Family: Passeridae • Sparrows

Here is the Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Africa’s answer to the House Sparrow.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Italy - Romania • May 2009

Bird name: Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Latin: Passer montanus
Other: Moineau friquet (Fr)
Family: Passeridae • Sparrows

The Tree Sparrow is far less common than the similar House Sparrow and can be easily differentiated by the small patch of black on its cheek and wholly rufous top of head. Also found throughout Europe and much of Asia.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Lake Garda, Italy. May 2009

Bird name: Italian Sparrow
Latin: Passer italiae
Other: Passer hispaniolensis • Passera d'Italia (It), passero italiano • Italiensperling (De)
Family: Passeridae • Sparrows
Range: Mainland Italy, Corsica, Sicily

The Italian Sparrow is sometimes considered a subspecies of Spanish Sparrow or hybrid with House Sparrow.

The male has a full chestnut cap and white cheeks like the Spanish Sparrow but pale belly without black spotting, so unlike the Spanish Sparrow in that respect.

The female (below) looks like the female House Sparrow, but identified here by proximity to males.

Some possible photos of courtship below in “more photos”. She pecks him on the head, they both bow and display plumage.
Alternatively, It seems these may not be courtship scenes at all. Two other theories are that the female may be competing aggressively for food (I had a sandwich), which happens the during breeding season. Or she may be an invasive House Sparrow and attacking the male Italian Sparrow for territory.

These photos were taken by Lake Garda in Northern Italy, a typical location for the Italian Sparrow.

More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Camargue, France • Mar 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: House Sparrow
Latin: Passer domesticus
Other: Moineau domestique
Family: Passeridae • Sparrows

Photo: monacoeye • Camargue • Mar 2009

A ringed female House Sparrow above. Detail of male below. Widespread in Europe and even quite visible in Americas.More photos...

213 Passeridae - Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Plocepasser mahali - White-browed Sparrow-Weaver - E, S Africa
Plocepasser superciliosus - Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver - W, C, E Africa
Plocepasser donaldsoni - Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver - E Africa
Plocepasser rufoscapulatus - Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver - SC Africa

Histurgops ruficauda - Rufous-tailed Weaver - Tanzania

Pseudonigrita arnaudi - Grey-capped Social Weaver - EC, E Africa
Pseudonigrita cabanisi - Black-capped Social Weaver - E Africa

Philetairus socius - Sociable Weaver - SW Africa

Passer ammodendri - Saxaul Sparrow - SC Eurasia
Passer domesticus - House Sparrow - Widespread Eurasia, Asia, Africa, introduced worldwide
Passer hispaniolensis - Spanish Sparrow - SW, SC, Eurasia, also N Africa - Italian Sparrow
Passer pyrrhonotus - Sind Sparrow - SC Eurasia - NB name
Passer castanopterus - Somali Sparrow - E Africa
Passer rutilans - Russet Sparrow - Afghanistan to Japan & Southeast Asia
Passer flaveolus - Plain-backed Sparrow - Burma to S Vietnam
Passer moabiticus - Dead Sea Sparrow - Israel to W Pakistan
Passer iagoensis - Iago Sparrow - Cape Verde Is
Passer motitensis - Great Sparrow - S Africa
Passer insularis - Socotra Sparrow - Socotra Island
Passer hemileucus - Abd al-Kuri Sparrow - Abd al-Kuri Island, W of Socotra - Split from Socotra Sparrow P. insularis
Passer rufocinctus - Kenya Sparrow - E Africa
Passer shelleyi - Shelley's Sparrow - S Sudan, S Ethiopia, N Uganda, NW Kenya, NW Somalia - Split from Kenya (Rufous) Sparrow P. rufocinctus
Passer cordofanicus - Kordofan Sparrow - E Chad and WC Sudan - Split from Kenya (Rufous) Sparrow P. rufocinctus
Passer melanurus - Cape Sparrow - S Africa
Passer griseus - Northern Grey-headed Sparrow - W, C Africa
Passer swainsonii - Swainson's Sparrow - E Africa
Passer gongonensis - Parrot-billed Sparrow - E Africa
Passer suahelicus - Swahili Sparrow - E Africa
Passer diffusus - Southern Grey-headed Sparrow - SE, S Africa
Passer simplex - Desert Sparrow - SW Asia to N Africa
Passer montanus - Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Widespread Eurasia, Asia
Passer luteus - Sudan Golden Sparrow - W, C, NE Africa
Passer euchlorus - Arabian Golden Sparrow - SW Arabian Peninsula, Eurasia, also N Somalia
Passer eminibey - Chestnut Sparrow - E Africa

Carpospiza brachydactyla - Pale Rockfinch - SC Eurasia - NE Africa

Petronia petronia - Rock Sparrow - SW, SC, Eurasia, also NW Africa

Gymnoris superciliaris - Yellow-throated Petronia - SC, S Africa
Gymnoris dentata - Bush Petronia - W, C, E, Africa, also SW Arabian Peninsula
Gymnoris pyrgita - Yellow-spotted Petronia - W, C, E Africa
Gymnoris xanthocollis - Yellow-throated Sparrow - Turkey to India & Sri Lanka

Montifringilla nivalis - White-winged Snowfinch - SW, SC Eurasia
Montifringilla henrici - Henri's Snowfinch - Tibet
Montifringilla adamsi - Tibetan Snowfinch - Tibet, Nepal

Onychostruthus taczanowskii - White-rumped Snowfinch - Tibet, W China

Pyrgilauda davidiana - Pere David's Snowfinch - C Eurasia
Pyrgilauda ruficollis - Rufous-necked Snowfinch - Tibet, Nepal, W China
Pyrgilauda blanfordi - Blanford's Snowfinch - Tibet, Nepal, W China
Pyrgilauda theresae - Afghan Snowfinch - SC Eurasia