Majesty of the Med melting pot
Sicily’s colourful birds are a joy to watch as the searing temperatures of summer bake the arid landscape to a crisp. Hoopoes blush pink and golden orioles glisten in the Mediterranean sunshine.
But the bird that blooms brightest in the brilliant azure skies is the bee-eater, a paintby-colour masterpiece of yellows, greens and blues.
Listening to the syrupy calls of these so-called rainbow birds floating on the gentle morning breeze is a wonderful way to welcome a new day before the heat takes hold.
Although midsummer means the dawn chorus, with its nightingales and other songbirds, has been put on mute, one bird sound resonates – the constant quarrelling of sparrows.
Sicily is full of sparrows. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Normans have all left their historic marks on the island over the centuries and sparrows have blended their own genetic riches into the cultural melting pot, too.
Male Italian and Spanish sparrows, close relatives of our Cockney house sparrow, flourish in Sicily to produce a variety of fascinating crossbreeds with shared features of both species.
True Italian sparrows look somewhat similar to the UK’S much-loved garden bird, although the Latin males have chestnut rather than grey crowns along with creamier-toned cheeks and larger black bibs. Spanish sparrows also have reddish-brown heads but their black chest markings extend along the flanks as well as across the back.
Watching the varied Sicilian hybrid sparrows on terracotta roof tiles trying to impress females is an excellent way of determining the features of their respective forebears. But look carefully and, in no time, another sparrow is likely to come into view.
The dinkier tree sparrow is noted by its smaller size, black chin and striking dark cheek spots. Back in the 1970s, tree sparrows were abundant in Britain but their numbers have subsequently crashed by 90 per cent – most likely because of the decline in abundance of farmland insects, which are essential for raising young birds.
Different sparrows flourish in Sicily with a variety of crossbreeds