Cape Verde Sparrow Passer iagoensis Scientific name definitions

12·5–13 cm. Small compact sparrow. Male breeding has forehead, crown and lores blackish, supraloral line whitish, narrow black line behind eye, nape to mantle grey; side of head silvery white, broad rufous-brown band from side of crown behind eye, extending behind ear-coverts and curving down to lower side of neck; scapulars and back chestnut, streaked black, lower back rich brown to chestnut, uppertail-coverts grey (sometimes tinged brown); median upperwing-coverts black with broad white tips, greaters dark brown with paler edges and pale buff-brown tips, flight-feathers blackish, secondaries and tertials edged pale buff-brown, small sandy area at base of primaries; tail dark brown with narrow pale edges; chin and central throat black (small bib); underparts silvery white, greyer on side of breast and flanks; individuals nesting in holes in lava cliffs become noticeably worn through abrasion caused by lava as they regularly enter and leave nest-site; iris dark brown; bill black; legs brown or flesh-brown. Non-breeding male is duller, bill horn-coloured. Female is mostly grey-brown with conspicuous creamy supercilium , pattern of upperparts and wing as for male but duller, lacking chestnut tones, chin and throat white. Juvenile is similar to female, with supercilium sometimes cinnamon and sometimes pale cream (presumably male and female, respectively, though this requires confirmation).

Cape Verde Is (all main islands except Fogo), off W Africa.

Mainly sedentary; presumably some dispersal that replenishes populations on smaller islands, which tend to die out and later become re-established. In May 2013, a group undertook a ship-assisted voyage from the Cape Verde Islands all the way to the Netherlands; the birds originally landed on zodiac boats used by people watching Raso Larks Alauda razae close to the shore, and four individuals eventually arrived to Hansweert port in Zeeland (1 Ebels, E., van Duivendijk, N., van der Luit, P. and Steijn, L.B. (2014). Ship-assisted passage by lago Sparrows from Cape Verde Islands to Madeira and the Netherlands in May 2013. Dutch Birding. 36: 167–171. Close ).

Mainly seeds of small plants, including grasses and cultivated cereals; also domestic scraps in urban areas. Nestlings fed with caterpillars of Lepidoptera and grasshoppers (Orthoptera). Gregarious; in small groups when breeding, and in larger flocks at other times.

Call of male a twangy "cheesp" , "chew-weep" or "chew-leep", used to proclaim nest ownership; notes sometimes strung together into a song, "cheep chirri chip cheep chirri chip cheep". Churring "chur-chur-chur" alarm and a speeded-up version, "chur-it-it-it-it", used by both sexes at nest.