Chestnut Sparrow

The Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey) is a species of passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. It is the smallest member of the sparrow family, at about 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The breeding male has deep chestnut plumage and the female and juvenile are duller in appearance. Like its closest relatives in the genus Passer, the Arabian Golden Sparrow and the Sudan Golden Sparrow, it is gregarious, and is found in arid areas. Ranging through the east of Africa from Darfur to Tanzania, it is found in dry savanna, papyrus swamps, and near human habitation. Adults and juveniles both feed mostly on grass seeds, and fly in flocks, often with other species of bird, to find food. It nests in trees, building its own domed nests, and also usurping the more elaborate nests of weavers.