African Sparrows by Ken _Gilliland

Poser • Animals • posted on Jun 21, 2013

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Description

Who knew there were so many different sparrows? My Sparrow project has given me a whole new appreciation for this fairly common bird. Portrayed are 3 different sparrows, all found in Africa. The Cape Sparrow (Black head) has been featured on several coins of the South African rand, and on stamps from Lesotho and the Central African Republic. An unusual social behavior has been described in the Cape Sparrows of Johannesburg. Groups of 20–30 birds separate from larger flocks and stand close together with their tails on the ground and heads held high. These groups sometimes move in an unconcerted fashion by hopping slowly. Often birds will fly up and hover 30–60 cm (12–24 in) above the ground. During these gatherings birds are silent and are never antagonistic. This behavior’s significance is unknown, and it is not reported in any other sparrow. The Great Sparrow (orange, grey and white head) is near-endemic to southern Africa and is sometimes confused with the Iago Sparrow which looks similar. It generally prefers arid and semi-arid savanna woodland and shrubland, especially with Acacia trees, but it also occupies fallow grazing land with scattered bushes. The Chestnut Sparrow the smallest member of the sparrow family and is found in East Africa along a broad band of mostly lower country from Darfur through the Kordofan region, South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya to north-central Tanzania. Its range also extends northeast into the southwest and Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Rendered in Poser 2014 without postwork. Credits: Rocks/Plants (RDNA), Sparrows of the World (me/Hivewire3D)