Somali Sparrow
Passer castanopterus Blyth, 1855
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Somali sparrow (Passer castanopterus) is a species of bird in the family Passeridae found in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.
It is considered a superspecies with the russet sparrow (Passer rutilans) and sometimes is even treated as the same species. However, the similarities in plumage and morphology between the two seem to represent convergent evolution rather than a single lineage.
Two subspecies are recognized:
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).
Wikipedia contributors, Somali sparrow; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:08:01.816544+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Passer castanopterus Blyth, 1855
- Name authority
- Blyth, 1855
- Common name
- Somali Sparrow
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passeridae
- Genus
- Passer
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPasseridae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusPasser Brisson, 1760
- speciesPasser castanopterus Blyth, 1855
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Passer. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Saxaul SparrowPasser ammodendri Gould, 1872 | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Passer cordofanicus Heuglin, 1871 | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| House SparrowPasser domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arabian Golden SparrowPasser euchlorus (Bonaparte, 1850) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plain-backed SparrowPasser flaveolus Blyth, 1845 | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Parrot-billed SparrowPasser gongonensis (Oustalet, 1890) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Grey-headed SparrowPasser griseus (Vieillot, 1817) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Socotra SparrowPasser insularis P. L. Sclater & Hartlaub, 1881 | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape SparrowPasser melanurus (Statius Muller, 1776) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dead Sea SparrowPasser moabiticus Tristram, 1864 | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian SparrowPasser montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) | PasseridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=561874 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4DXXJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.