Spanish Sparrow

(Passer hispaniolensis)

Category of conservation concern (IUCN, 2020) – Least Concern

Population size: 200 000-500 000 pairs

Distribution pattern

With patchy and dispersed distribution in the plains and low – mountain parts of the whole country, more consistently in South-eastern Bulgaria. It is not found in the middle and high parts of the mountains, in some plains, and in the westernmost parts of the country.

Comparative distribution of the species compared to the first breeding birds atlas (Iankov, 2007): Breeding locality until 2007 | Breeding locality until 2007, confirmed after 2015 – | New breeding locality after 2015. – The breeding localities after 2015 are identified on a base of raw data from smartbirds.org.

Habitats

Breeds in strips of trees, shrubs and mosaics of them, in open or young broad – leaved deciduous forests (especially groves of Robinia pseudoacacia), tree and shrub plantations (favours plantations of Populus sp.). Very often breeds in public parks and gardens and other areas in towns, villages and industrial zones, especially in nests of Ciconia ciconia, sometimes Pica pica; in areas with dense and tall sclerophyllous scrub; as an exception in cavities in cliffs and exposed rocks. In natural habitats often builds its nests underneath the nests of Ciconia nigra, Corvidae, Ardeidae and Falconiformes.

Trends in population changes for the period 2013-2020

Not analysed

Threats

Not analysed