Spanish Sparrow
Passer hispaniolensis (Temminck, 1820)
Photo © Kris Webb
STATUS
Eurasia and north Africa. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
Species not admitted nationally during the period covered (BOU 1971).
NOT PROVEN
0). Pre 1853 Hampshire Near Portsmouth, shot, undated.
(W. Hazel, Naturalist 1853: 20; Gurney, 1876).
[BOU, 1971].
History W. Hazel of Portsmouth (1853) in Morris and Bree's Naturalist, Vol. III. p. 20, in a letter to the Rev. F. O. Morris, dated 6th July, 1853, says: 'Last summer I sent some notice to Mr. Yarrell of Fringilla hispaniolensis, shot four or five years previously in Mr. Thistlewayte's woods, about five miles from here. It was brought newly-killed to Mr. Elkins, who keeps a "curiosity shop" in Broad Street, and by him set up. I took some pains to ascertain this statement, and am myself quite satisfied of its correctness. The specimen is now in the Museum of the Philosophical Society of this place. I shall be happy to furnish any further particulars if you desire them.'
Gurney (1876: 171) in a footnote, says: 'Mr. Hazel states in The Naturalist for 1853, p. 20, that a Fringilla hispaniolensis was shot in some woods near Portsmouth, and afterwards placed in the Museum of the Philosophical Society. From enquiries I have made I believe that Museum is now broken up, but the specimen may be at Haslar Hospital Museum.'
0). 1900 Nottinghamshire Wilford, male, obtained, autumn.
(Whitaker, 1907).
[BOU, 1971].
History Whitaker (1907: 95-97) recording the record in square brackets, says: 'A man named Rogers was fishing in the Trent near Wilford in the autumn of 1900; close to where he stood was a thorn tree covered with ivy; at dusk a lot of Sparrows kept coming from a farm near by and flying into the tree. The noise they made and the quantity of birds attracted his notice, so he walked to the tree with rod in hand thinking he would hit it and see how many birds there were. On getting close to the bush a crowd of Sparrows new out and he made a cut at them with his Pike rod and knocked one down; on picking it up he saw it was a strange bird so he took it home and set it up. A few days after Daws, the curator of the Mansfield Museum, called on him and he showed him the bird telling him how he obtained it, and as Daws seemed keen to have it he gave it to him. Shortly afterwards Daws told me he had a very curious bird and I went to see it and told him what it was. After hearing the story I looked the bird most carefully over; it is a male in perfect plumage, the feathers are clean and not worn in any way, and the claws are smooth and sharp, the sharp claw is a great sign of a wild bird, for the claws of cage birds are always more or less blunt. I am perfectly satisfied the bird is a wild one, and the tale of its capture, a true one, for I have known both Daws and Rogers for many years and both are to be thoroughly trusted. I have never heard of this Sparrow being kept as a cage bird; and being a strong bird of fairly powerful flight I see no reason why it did not find its way to this country as many other birds have done before and some much less likely to do so.'
