Petronia petronia
Habitats | Rocky Terrain, Desert Cliffs, Mediterranean Cliffs |
---|---|
Presence In Israel | Resident |
Nesting In Israel | Breeder |
Migration Types | Resident, Nomad |
Zoography Zones | Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian |
Landscape Formations | Mountainous, Cliffs, Rugged Terrain |
Vegetation Formations | Steppe, Herbaceous |
Vegetation Densities | Low |
Nest Locations | Cliffs, Buildings |
Diet Types | Herbivore |
Foraging Grounds | Ground |
Body Sizes | Small (up to 500g) |
Threat Factors | Plantations, Wildfires, Habitat Fragmentation, Aforestation |
The Rock Sparrow is a relatively large sparrow species that inhabits rocky and stony habitats with sparse vegetation. Its plumage is a relatively uniform light brownish-grey. From up close, the head pattern includes a pale supercilium between the dark eye stripe and dark head streaking is visible. Wings are longer than the House Sparrow’s and its flight is very undulant. In flight, a series of white spots at the edge of the tail is revealed. Both sexes also have a yellow patch on their throat, which is sometimes hard to discern.
A relatively common resident species in suitable habitats, particularly east of the national watershed, e.g. mountains and cliffs such as Mt. Hermon, the Arbel Cliffs, eastern Judea and Samaria and south to Mt. Amasa, Arad and the Judean Desert Plateau.
- פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.
- Shirihai, H., 1996. The Birds of Israel. Academic Press, London.
- Symes, A. 2013. Species generation lengths. Unpublished, BirdLife International.
- Species page at Birdlife International
Current Occupancy Map
Distribution maps
The maps presented here provide visual information on the distribution of species in Israel in the past and present, and the changes in occupancy and nesting density during the comparison period. For further reading
Relative Abundance 2010-2020
Breeding density values as calculated from observation records and expert opinions.
Relative Abundance 1980-1990
Breeding density values are based mainly on the book Birds of Israel (Shirihai 1996).
Occupancy difference 1990-2020
A map that expresses differences in the breeding distribution between the evaluation periods (1980-1990 versus 2010-2020). Negative value - species previously present but is currently absent, positive value - species has not been recorded previously and is currently present, zero - no change in occupancy.
Relative abundance difference 1990-2020
A map that reflects the changes in the relative abundance of the species between the evaluation periods (1980-1990 versus 2010-2020). Negative values - decline in abundance, positive values - increase in abundance, zero - no change in abundance.
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