CreatureData

Desert sparrow

Passer simplex (Lichtenstein, 1823)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) is a species in the family Passeridae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 19.5 g to 19.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Desert sparrow (Passer simplex)
Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the desert sparrow

Weight
19.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.2 – 3.35src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the desert sparrow live?

Not recorded

What is the desert sparrow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, found in the Sahara Desert of northern Africa. A similar bird, Zarudny's sparrow, is found in Central Asia and was historically recognised as a subspecies of the desert sparrow, but varies in a number of ways and is now recognised as a separate species by BirdLife International, the IOC World Bird List, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive.

The desert sparrow has two subspecies which occur in some of driest parts of the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa. This species is becoming scarcer as a result of habitat destruction, but it is assessed on the IUCN Red List as being of least concern for conservation. Zarudny's sparrow is also considered to be a least concern species, as was the combined species recognised before 2012.

The desert sparrow is not afraid to come near humans and sometimes builds nests in muddy walls. The Mozabite Berbers build their homes with holes in the walls to welcome these birds, which they call "bar-rode", and if one sings all day in the house, they say this is a sign of good news. The Tuareg, who call the bird "moula-moula", also say that this bird brings good news when it comes to stay near the camp.

From the Wikipedia article “Desert sparrow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desert_sparrow&oldid=1354828237), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the desert sparrow endangered?

The desert sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the desert sparrow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPasseridae
  6. genusPasser
  7. SpeciesPasser simplex (Lichtenstein, 1823)

Synonyms Corospiza simplex, Fringilla simplex

Other names and names in other languages (45)
  • African desert sparrowEnglish
  • African desert sparrowEnglish
  • DESPEnglish
  • دوري صحراويArabic
  • Пустинно врабчеBulgarian
  • pardal del desertCatalan
  • vrabec pouštníCzech
  • vrabec pustinnýCzech
  • golfan diffeithwchWelsh
  • ØrkenspurvDanish
  • WüstenspatzGerman
  • WüstensperlingGerman
  • DezertpaseroEsperanto
  • dezerta paseroEsperanto
  • Gorrión saharianoSpanish
  • kõrbevarblaneEstonian
  • گنجشک بیابانیPersian
  • aavikkovarpunenFinnish
  • Moineau blancFrench
  • Gealbhan fásaighIrish
  • Sparroo yn 'aasaghScottish Gaelic
  • pustinjski vrabacCroatian
  • sivatagi verébHungarian
  • AuðnaspörIcelandic
  • Passero del desertoItalian
  • サバクスズメJapanese
  • dykuminis žvirblisLithuanian
  • tuksneša zvirbulisLatvian
  • WoestijnmusDutch
  • Afrikaanse WoestijnmusDutch
  • wróbel pustynnyPolish
  • روہی چڑیWestern Panjabi
  • pardal-do-desertoPortuguese
  • Пустынный воробейRussian
  • Сахарский воробейRussian
  • SáttoábicihciNorthern Sami
  • vrabec stepnýSlovak
  • puščavski vrabecSlovenian
  • Afrički pustinjski vrabacSerbian
  • ökensparvSwedish
  • Çöl SerçesiTurkish
  • горобець пустельнийUkrainian
  • Sẻ sa mạcVietnamese
  • 漠麻雀Chinese
  • 荒漠麻雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the desert sparrow

Other species in the same genus Passer.

CompareDesert sparrow vs House sparrowDesert sparrow vs Eurasian tree sparrowDesert sparrow vs Spanish sparrowDesert sparrow vs Sudan golden sparrow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the desert sparrow?

An adult desert sparrow weighs 19.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the desert sparrow endangered?

The desert sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the desert sparrow?

The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) belongs to the family Passeridae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Desert sparrow (Passer simplex). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-sparrow

MLA

“Desert sparrow (Passer simplex).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-sparrow.

BibTeX
@misc{desert_sparrow_2026,
  title = {Desert sparrow (Passer simplex)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-sparrow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}