Passer hemileucus Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899
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.
Abd al-Kuri Sparrow Passer hemileucus, male, Abd al-Kuri, Socotra, Yemen
James Eaton · CC0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Abd al-Kuri sparrow (Passer hemileucus) is a passerine bird endemic to the small island of Abd al Kuri. The sparrows are located primarily in the Socotra archipelago of the Indian Ocean, in Yemen, which is off the Horn of Africa. Their environment consists of shrubland and rocky areas with inland cliffs and mountain peaks. Though this species was originally described as a distinct species, it was considered conspecific with the Socotra sparrow. The sparrow is also referred to by its English name, Abd al-Kuri, or its Dutch, Middle Name, Abd al-Kuri Mus. A study by Guy Kirwan suggested that there are differences between the Abd al-Kuri sparrow and the Socotra sparrow. On the evidence that it is morphologically distinct, BirdLife International (and hence the IUCN Red List) recognised it as a species, and it was listed in the IOC World Bird List from December 2009. It has a restricted distribution, and a population of under 1,000 individuals.
Wikipedia contributors, Abd al-Kuri sparrow; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:06:25.083925+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Passer hemileucus Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899
- Name authority
- Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899
- 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 hemileucus Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899
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=916517 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.
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:4DXXT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.