Birds
Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus)
The Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus) is a sparrow of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. It has two subspecies, one in Djibouti, Somaliland and eastern Ethiopia and one in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
In short
The Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus) is a bird of the sparrow family, Passeridae. It is found in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (IUCN Red List, Passer castanopterus, 2016). Blyth described it in 1855 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).
Relatives
It has been grouped with the russet sparrow (Passer rutilans) of Asia as one "superspecies", and the two have sometimes been treated as a single species. The Handbook of the Birds of the World states that their likeness in plumage and body shape is more likely convergent evolution, meaning they came to look alike separately, than a sign of one shared line (Handbook of the Birds of the World, Somali Sparrow).
Two subspecies
Two subspecies are recognised (Wikipedia, Somali sparrow, backup):
- Passer castanopterus castanopterus Blyth, 1855: Djibouti, Somaliland and eastern Ethiopia.
- Passer castanopterus fulgens Friedmann, 1931: southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya, south to Kapedo and Marsabit.
Records in Somali lands
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 109 records of the Somali sparrow from Somalia, dated from 1899 to 2025 (GBIF occurrence search, Somalia). By type: 78 sightings by people, 31 museum specimens.
Records that name a region (84 of 109), by region: Woqooyi Galbeed 42, Togdheer 13, Sanaag 9, Banadir (Mogadishu) 4, Bay 4, Middle Shabelle 4, Awdal 2, Somaliland (no region given) 2, Sool 2, Gedo 1, Nugaal 1 (same source).
The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1899, from a place recorded as "Berbera", held by the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard (GBIF record 863440810).
The newest dated record is a sighting by a person from 2025, from Woqooyi Galbeed, held by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (eBird) (GBIF record 6642382932).
GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.
Red List status
The IUCN Red List category for the Somali sparrow is Least Concern (IUCN Red List assessment; GBIF species page).
Classification
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Passeridae |
| Genus | Passer |
| Species | Passer castanopterus |
Scientific name with author: Passer castanopterus Blyth, 1855 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).
Related pages
Sources
Sources
- IUCN Red List, Passer castanopterus, 2016 · doi.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · gbif.org
- Handbook of the Birds of the World, Somali Sparrow · hbw.com
- Wikipedia, Somali sparrow, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- GBIF occurrence search, Somalia · gbif.org
- GBIF record 863440810 · mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu
- GBIF record 6642382932 · gbif.org
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
Related
- Mammals of Somalia: all 191 species on recordEvery mammal species with a record from Somalia in GBIF: 191 species, each with its family, IUCN Red List category and number of records, plus summaries by group and threat level.
- Plants of Somalia: how many, which are found nowhere else, and every listThe plants of Somalia: how many species, how many are endemic, the frankincense and myrrh trees, the yeheb nut and Somali cyclamen, the largest plant families, who collected the records, and links to every plant list.
- Mammals of Somalia: all 191 species on record (part 2 of 2)Part 2 of 2 of Mammals of Somalia: all 191 species on record, from Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat.
- Reptiles of Somalia: all 224 species on recordEvery reptile species with a record from Somalia in GBIF: 224 lizards, snakes, turtles, tortoises and crocodiles, with family, Red List category and number of records.
- Amphibians of Somalia: all 46 species on recordEvery frog and toad species with a record from Somalia in GBIF: 46 species with family, Red List category and number of records.
- Birds of Somalia: all 709 species on record (part 2 of 5)Part 2 of 5 of Birds of Somalia: all 709 species on record, from Sombre Nightjar.
Keep reading
- Juba weaver (Ploceus dichrocephalus)The Juba weaver or Salvadori's weaver: name, range in the Horn of Africa, Red List status, and its 27 shared records in Somalia from 1901 to 2021.
- Somali bee-eater (Merops revoilii)The Somali bee-eater: what it looks like, where it lives, how it feeds and nests, why the IUCN thinks its numbers may be rising, and its records in Somalia since 1894.
- Somali courser (Cursorius somalensis)The Somali courser: a wader of semi-desert and short grass, how to tell it from the cream-coloured courser, its two subspecies, and its records across Somali regions.
- Somali crombec (Sylvietta isabellina)The Somali crombec: a small African warbler of dry shrubland, its range, the subspecies named after the Maharaja of Baroda, and its records across Somali regions since 1896.
- Somali crow (Corvus edithae)The Somali crow or dwarf raven: size, range, nesting, voice, how it differs from the brown-necked raven, its Red List status and where it has been recorded in Somalia, region by region.
- Somali fiscal (Lanius somalicus)The Somali fiscal or Somali shrike: range, habitat, how it hunts and stores prey on thorns, nesting, Red List status and its records across Somali regions.