Sudan golden sparrow

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Sudan golden sparrow (Passer luteus) is a small bird found across sub-Saharan Africa. It is a popular cage bird in aviculture and is often seen in dry, open habitats.

Appearance
- Size: about 12–13 cm long; wingspan 5.7–7 cm.
- Males: bright yellow head and underparts, deep chestnut wings and back, with two white wingbars. In breeding season the bill becomes darker.
- Females: pale sandy-buff with a yellowish face, light brown wings, chestnut streaks on the back, and yellow fading to whitish on the belly.
- Juveniles resemble females but are greyer. Young males may show a yellow wash on the shoulders about 10 weeks after hatching.

Voice
- Usually a simple chirp; can include a song-like call or a rapid che-che-che.

Habitat and range
- Breeds across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Ethiopia.
- Inhabits dry open savannas, semi-deserts, arid scrub, and cereal fields.
- Very social and nomadic, forming mixed flocks with other seed-eaters. Evening roosts can number in the thousands, sometimes in cities like Khartoum.
- Occasional sightings outside Africa, such as flocks in Morocco in 2009 and a few more in 2013–2014.

Diet
- Eats seeds most of the time, especially grass and small cereal seeds like millet.
- Also takes insects, particularly when feeding young.

Breeding
- Nests in very large colonies, up to tens of thousands of nests.
- Nest is a large, untidy dome of twigs built in tree branches, with a feather-lined chamber.
- One or two clutches per year, usually 3–4 eggs; eggs are white with dark spots.

In captivity
- Kept as a cage bird; diet typically includes millet-based mixes, vegetables, and sometimes mealworms.

Taxonomy notes
- Closely related to the Arabian golden sparrow; some classify them together as the “golden sparrow” and place them in a separate genus or as a superspecies.

Conservation status
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern.