The Spanish sparrow (scientific name Passer hispaniolensis, Maltese name għasfur tal-bejt, literally “house bird”) is a small bird, commonly found in the Mediterranean and in central Asia. As far as sparrows go, it is quite a large one – reaching 16 cm in length and up to 36 g in weight. The species is dimorphic, which means that male and females look different: while females are greyish brown, and rather dull to look at, males have more colorful feathers. The most striking characteristic is the reddish cap; the eyes are banded in black, with narrow white “eyebrows”; males have white cheeks, a large black “bib” on a white underside, and striped black and brown back, wings and tail. Fledglings are similar to females in colour, but look chunkier and goofier. Different, abnormal colourings are however surprisingly common in Maltese sparrows! Keep an eye out for leucistic birds with white feather on their wings, tails or head, for entirely albino ones, and for melanistic, all-black sparrows.
L-Għasfur tal-Bejt (l-isem xjentifiku Passer hispaniolensis, bl-Ingliż Spanish Sparrow) hu għasfur żgħir li hu komuni fil-Mediterran u l-Asja ċentrali. Imqabbel ma’ għasafar oħra tar-razza tiegħu, hu pjuttost kbir, għax għandu tul ta’ 16ċm u jiżen sa 36g. Hu għasfur dimorfiku, għaliex ir-raġel u l-mara għandhom dehra differenti: il-mara għandha lewn kannella mitfi li jagħti fil-griż, filwaqt li r-raġel għandu r-rix aktar ikkulurit. L-aktar li tolqtok fih hi l-qurriegħa ħamranija. Minn fuq għajnejh tgħaddi faxxa sewda; għandu wkoll “ħuġbejn” dojoq u bojod, ħaddejn bojod, tebgħa kbira sewda fuq sidru, żaqq bajdanija, u dahar, ġwienaħ u denb irrigati bil-kannella u l-iswed. Meta l-frieħ itajru mill-bejta jkunu bħan-nisa, imma jkollhom dehra aktar imbaċċa. Madankollu, mhix ħaġa kbira li tiltaqa’ ma’ għasafar bi lwien differenti minn tas-soltu. Xi wħud ikunu lewċistiċi, b’rix abjad fil-ġwienaħ, fid-denb jew fir-ras. Oħrajn ġieli jkunu kompletament bojod (albinistiċi) inkella suwed (melanistiċi).
Spanish sparrows are very vocal, and use different calls for a variety of purposes, including contact, flight, alarm and threat. Typical sparrow sounds include jig, jeuw, jeerr, greer, chilli, chirrup, and seuw, and each sound is generally repeated twice to form a call. Roosts are especially loud, with many different calls overlapping in a high-pitched, chaotic choir. Check the audio file above to hear how an actual roost sounds like! Adult sparrows are mostly frugivorous, which means the largest portion of their food consists of seeds, grains and fruits. They will however eat small invertebrates, bugs like insects and spiders, as well. Nestlings are actually fed only bugs until they are a few days old. Parent sparrows progressively increase the amount of grains they feed to their children until they are ready to move on to a healthy – if boring – seed-based diet.
The species breeds in all three main islands and can be easily observed throughout the country thanks to its large numbers – up to 300000 pairs have been estimated. Spanish sparrows favour urban areas and are perfectly adapted to nesting in buildings, which is one of the reasons why they are so commonly found in cities. Sparrows start building their nest in February, in holes and cracks in walls, cliffs and caves, on window sills, trees, and any other similar site. The breeding season lasts until August and starts with fights between males, who get a bit violent in order to secure a nesting site. Fights are so intense that the boys lose track of their surroundings, and are vulnerable to predators like cats, or to being run over by cars. In cities, pairs nest on their own, and there is some distance between two or more nests. In rural areas, however, colonial nesting happens as well, and several pairs nest together in the same site. Both parents build the nests, which is bulky and messy, with hay, grass, wool, straw and similar materials.
Between three and six colourful eggs are laid. Eggs vary in colour, and can be white, bluish, grey and greenish, with darker speckles. While the female is the main incubator (she is the one who sits on the eggs for most of the time) the male also incubates the eggs when the female is feeding. Chicks hatch after 14 days, and are fed by both parents, who can lay eggs and raise chicks up to four times a year.
Sparrows used to be on Maltese menus as well! In the past, when food was scarce, Maltese men would catch sparrows with nets to eat them or sell them at the market as food. This was such a common practice that farmhouses would have holes carved in their walls, so that sparrows would be encouraged to nest and could be caught more easily. Obviously, this was not good for sparrows, and at the beginning of the 20th century they were almost gone- until they were protected by law 1916. Luckily, now no one would dream of catching sparrows for food!
L-Għasafar tal-Bejt huma storbjużi ħafna, u għandhom għajjat differenti għal għanijiet differenti, fosthom il-kuntatt, il-biżgħa, l-allarm u t-theddid. L-għajjat tipiku tal-Għasfur tal-Bejt jinkludi ġig, ġju, ġiirrr, ċili, ċirip u sju. Kull ħoss ġeneralment ikun imtenni biex jifforma l-għajta. Meta jinġabru biex jorqdu jagħmlu storbju sħiħ, b’ħafna għajjat differenti li jidħol f’xulxin f’kor kaotiku. L-għasafar il-kbar tista’ tgħid li huma fruġivorji, iġifieri parti sew mill-ikel tagħhom ikun jikkonsisti f’żerriegħa, qmuħ u frott. Madankollu jieklu wkoll invertebri żgħar, bħal insetti u brimb. Il-frieħ jiġu mitmugħa biss dud fl-ewwel ġranet tagħhom. Il-ġenituri jżidu ftit ftit it-tmigħ tal-qmuħ lill-frieħ tagħhom sakemm ikunu lesti biex jaqilbu għal dieta bbażati fuq iż-żrieragħ; forsi ftit monotona, imma aktar tajba għas-saħħa.
Tal-Bejt ibejjet fit-tliet gżejjer ewlenin u faċilment tarah kullimkien, minħabba l-abbundanza tiegħu. Hu stmat li l-popolazzjoni tlaħħaq it-300,000 par. Jippreferi jgħix f’inħawi mibnija u addatta ruħu biex ibejjet fil-bini, li hi waħda mir-raġunijiet għala hu daqstant komuni fl-irħula u l-ibliet. Il-bejta tibda tinbena fi Frar, f’toqob u xquq fil-ħitan, fl-irdumijiet u għerien, fil-ħoġor tat-twieqi, fis-siġar u postijiet oħra simili. L-istaġun tal-bejta jdum s’Awwissu, u jibda bil-ġlied bejn l-irġiel, li jsiru xi ftit vjolenti sabiex jakkistaw post għall-bejta. Ġieli tant jintilfu fil-ġlied, illi lanqas jibqgħu jagħtu każ x’inhu għaddej madwarhom, u ġieli jaqgħu vittma tal-qtates, jew jitgħaffġu minn xi karozza. Fl-ibliet, kull par ibejjet għalih waħdu, u jkun hemm distanza bejn bejta u oħra, iżda kultant jiffurmaw kolonji, b’bosta bejtiet mibnija qrib xulxin fl-istess post. Iż-żewġ ġenituri jibnu l-bejta flimkien, li tkun goffa u bla forma, b’tiben, ħaxix, suf u materjal ieħor.
Il-mara tbid bejn tliet u sitt bajdiet imlewna. Il-kulur ivarja, u jista’ jkun abjad, kaħlani, griż u ħadrani, b’tikek aktar skuri. Hija l-mara li l-aktar tqatta’ ħin tinkuba l-bajd, u r-raġel jieħu postha meta hija toħroġ tfittex x’tiekol. Il-bajd ifaqqas wara erbatax-il jum u ż-żewġ ġenituri jieħdu ħsieb iżoqqu l-frieħ. Par kapaċi jkollu erba’ bejtiet f’sena.
Fl-antik, meta l-faqar kien għadu mifrux, l-Għasafar tal-Bejt kienu jinqabdu għall-ikel ukoll. Bosta rġiel kienu jonsbu għalihom biex jikluhom jew ibiegħuhom fis-suq. Din il-prattika tant kienet komuni illi fl-irziezet kienu jsiru toqob fil-ħitan sabiex iħajru lil tal-Bejt ibejjet fihom, u hekk ikun aktar faċli biex jinqabad. Ovvjament, tal-Bejt xejn ma mar tajjeb b’dan il-qbid, u sal-bidu tas-seklu għoxrin kien naqas ħafna – tant illi fl-1916 ġie protett bil-liġi. B’xorti tajba, illum ħadd ma tgħaddilu minn rasu li jaqbad dan l-għasfur għall-ikel.