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Send all your birding questions to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk and our experts will give you the answers CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS BIRD ON MY FEEDER, PLEASE

Q

The bird in the image above appeared at my garden feeding station on an afternoon in January. My initial thought was that it was a Tree Sparrow, a species that I have never seen and one that is very rare down in Devon, and to my knowledge with no confirmed records in the village of South Brent where I live. It does not have the Tree Sparrow’s black face patch and has an extensive bib which should negate it being a Tree Sparrow.

I posted the image on various forums and checked my Collins guide, the bird does match the image and description given in Collins for an Italian Sparrow, one of which turned up in East Devon a few years ago and this bird appears almost identical to the images that I have seen of that bird, major difference being that the East Devon bird had a black beak, but I suspect that is simply down to it being in breeding condition.

Steve Hopper

A

Your bird looks to have the suite of features of Italian Sparrow. However, that answer is a simplification of complex situation with no clear answers. Some authorities regard Italian Sparrow as a distinct species which occurs in Italy and some other parts of the Mediterranean. Others consider it a stable hybrid between House Sparrow and Spanish Sparrow, showing intermediate characters between these two species. And others still consider that there are ‘real’ Italians (eg in Italy) and identical looking hybrid areas of ‘ Italian’ Sparrow elsewhere. It is a confusing state which perhaps explains why it is not currently a bird which is on The British List, as recognized by the BOU. Perhaps the best we can suggest is that your bird is a ‘possible Italian Sparrow’.