Eurasian Tree Sparrow

SCI Name:  Passer montanus
Protonym:  Fringilla montana Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.183
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Passeridae / Passer
Taxonomy Code:  eutspa
Type Locality:  'in Europa''; restricted to Bagnacavallo, Ravenna, Italy, by Clancey (1948, Bull. Brit. Orn. CI., 68, p. 135).
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PASSER
(Passeridae; Ϯ House Sparrow P. domesticus) L. passer, passeris  sparrow; "Rostro in apicem crassum & brevem exeunte; { Rostri basi capiti latitudine multo cedente. . . . . .Passer. Genus 33.   ...   XXXIII. Genus Passerinum.  Le genre du Moineau.  ...  1. LE MOINEAU FRANC  ...  PASSER DOMESTICUS.  ...  Ils se nourrissent de graines & d'Insectes. Ils font leur nid dans les trous des murs." (Brisson 1760): based on "Passer" and "Passer domesticus" of many authors (Brisson lists over 20 species and forms of 'Moineau'); "Passer Brisson, 1760, Orn., 1, p. 36 [; 3, p. 71]. Type, by subsequent designation (Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, ed. 1, p. 46), Fringilla domestica Linnaeus." (Greenway in Peters 1962, XV, 8).  No thanks to positive introduction, the House Sparrow, with a natural Palaearctic and western Indomalayan range, is now found throughout the world as a commensal of man. If the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittiformes) and the tyrants and allies (Subosciniformes) are separated from the Passeriformes sens. lat. the remaining species could be titled Osciniformes.
Synon. Ammopasser, Auripasser, Caffropasser, Chrysospiza, Corospiza, Leucophrya, Megapasser, Pseudostruthus, Pyrgita, Pyrgitopsis, Salicipasser, Sorella.

passer
L. passer, passeris  sparrow.

montanum / montanus
L. montanus  found on mountains, mountain-, mountaineer  < mons, montis  mountain.
● “We saw abundance of these birds in the mountainous Countries of Stiria and Carinthia, as we travelled from Vienna to Venice” (Ray 1678); "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  montana.  28. F. remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, corpore griseo nigroque, alarum fascia alba gemina.  Passer montanus. Aldr. orn. t. 15. c. 15. Olin. av. 46. Raj, av. 87.  Habitat in Europa.  Simillima Fr. domesticæ sed minor & fascia duplex in alarum tegetibus alba s. tectrices alarum primi secundique ordinis albi, at in F. domestica tantum secundi." (Linnaeus 1758) (Passer).
● Montana, USA (subsp. Junco oreganus).
● Montana Sierra, Valle, Venezuela (syn. Megascops choliba crucigerus).
● ex “Braunes Feldhuhn” of Frisch 1733-1763, “Perdix montana” of Brisson 1760, and “Perdrix de montagne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 136, and de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Perdix perdix).
● ex “Merula montana” of Brisson 1760, and “Merle de montagne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 182 (syn. Turdus torquatus).

SUBSPECIES

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (montanus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus montanus
montanum / montanus
L. montanus  found on mountains, mountain-, mountaineer  < mons, montis  mountain.
● “We saw abundance of these birds in the mountainous Countries of Stiria and Carinthia, as we travelled from Vienna to Venice” (Ray 1678); "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  montana.  28. F. remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, corpore griseo nigroque, alarum fascia alba gemina.  Passer montanus. Aldr. orn. t. 15. c. 15. Olin. av. 46. Raj, av. 87.  Habitat in Europa.  Simillima Fr. domesticæ sed minor & fascia duplex in alarum tegetibus alba s. tectrices alarum primi secundique ordinis albi, at in F. domestica tantum secundi." (Linnaeus 1758) (Passer).
● Montana, USA (subsp. Junco oreganus).
● Montana Sierra, Valle, Venezuela (syn. Megascops choliba crucigerus).
● ex “Braunes Feldhuhn” of Frisch 1733-1763, “Perdix montana” of Brisson 1760, and “Perdrix de montagne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 136, and de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Perdix perdix).
● ex “Merula montana” of Brisson 1760, and “Merle de montagne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 182 (syn. Turdus torquatus).

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (transcaucasicus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus transcaucasicus
transcaucasia / transcaucasicus
L. trans beyond; Caucasus Mts.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (dilutus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus dilutus
dilutum / dilutus
L. dilutus  weak, diluted, resolved, thin, soft  < diluere  to dissolve  < dis  separate, apart; luere  to make good.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (dybowskii)
SCI Name: Passer montanus dybowskii
dybowskii
● Prof. Dr Benedykt Tadeusz Dybowski (1833-1930) Polish zoologist, exiled in Siberia 1864-1876 (subsp. Eriocnemis aline, syn. Locustella ochotensis, subsp. Otis tarda, subsp. Passer montanus, syn. Poecile montanus baicalensis, syn. Spinus spinus).
● Jean Thadée Emmanuel Dybowski (1856-1928) French agronomist, botanist, traveller, collector in tropical Africa 1891-1894 (Euschistospiza, syn. Pternistis icterorhynchus).

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (kansuensis)
SCI Name: Passer montanus kansuensis
kansuensis
Kansu Province (= Gansu), north-western China.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (iubilaeus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus iubilaeus
iubilaea / iubilaeus
L. iubilaeus jubilant, jubilee < Hebrew jōbēl a festival held every fifty years.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (obscuratus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus obscuratus
obscurata / obscuratus
L. obscuratus  dark, dusky  < obscurare  to darken  < obscurus  dark.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (saturatus)
SCI Name: Passer montanus saturatus
saturatum / saturatus
L. saturatus  richly coloured, darker coloured, intensely coloured  < satur, satura  rich, copious  < satis  enough.
● “In my description of this Cuckoo [Cuculus micropterus] ...I considered certain dark ash-coloured specimens to be merely the old birds of the species ...Mr Hodgson, however, thinks differently, having lately forwarded similar examples by the designation C. saturatus” (Blyth 1843) (Cuculus).

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (malaccensis)
SCI Name: Passer montanus malaccensis
malacca / malaccense / malaccensis / malacense / malacensis
Malacca, Malaysia. Melaka or Malaka are Malay names for a type of tree abundant in the region.
● ex “Grimpereau de Malacca” of Sonnerat 1782 (Anthreptes).
● ex “Crabier de Malac” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 911, “Crabier blanc et brun” of de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Malacca Heron” of Latham 1785 (syn. Ardeola speciosa).
● ex “Pic de Malacca” of Sonnerat 1782 (subsp. Chrysophlegma miniaceum).
● ex “Petite Tourterelle de Quéda” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Malacca Turtle” of Latham 1783 (syn. Geopelia striata).
● Erroneous TL. China, Java and Malacca (= India); ex “Chinese Sparrow” of Albin 1738, “Gros-bec de Java” of Brisson 1760, and “White-breasted Indian Sparrow” of Edwards 1764 (Lonchura).
● ex “Brève de Malacca” of Sonnerat 1782 (syn. Pitta brachyura).
● ex “Petit Paon de Malacca” of Sonnerat 1782 (Polyplectron).
● ex “Perruche de Malac” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 887, “Grand perruche à longs brins” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Malacca Parrakeet” of Latham 1781 (syn. Psittacula longicauda).
● ex “Petite Perruche de Malacca” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Blue-rumped Parrakeet” of Latham 1787 (syn. Psittinus cyanurus).