<- Back To Species Index

Ancestor: Passer domesticus (House Sparrow) 

Descendants 2 Myh: 

Bobbers

Size: 20 cm
Weight: 50 grams

Dietary Needs: Gets fed mainly invertebrates (of that mainly insects and the occasional crustacean or young fish) for the first few weeks of life, starts adding grains and fruit into it's diet as it grows into an older juvenile. Adults also eat beach carrion.

Life Cycle: Males lack the bright red and greyish blue of their ancestors, instead they use mildly stronger contrast than the females and black beak and legs to tell apart each other at a glance. Less healthy males tend to look more female. Males and females have a complex courtship that involves the males picking a nesting site and females selecting their preferred mate after resisting the advances of many other males. Those who don't find a mate remain socially active and helpful to increase their chances of being desirable should one of a pair lose their mate. Mating is usually for life and both parents alternate roles of guardianship and foraging. They nest in shrubs and trees.

Other: These birds are proactive opportunists, finding opportunities by running through the shallow surf as it laps across the sandy beach. Sometimes they even manage to catch live prey such as young fish or prawns. Slightly longer wings allow them to soar on the coastal winds if they're strong enough which allows them to gain some height to see further for food. They cannot glide like seabirds however, they are still limited most of the time to short, flapping flights from one perch or platform to another.

Due to much rain, humidity and sea spray from it's coastal habitat it benefits from increased oil production from glands on it's skin under it's breast. It uses it's beak to spread the oil around on the rest of it's body's feathers so it can remain active when conditions are wet and cold. The oil is not produced in enough quantity, nor is it an entirely suitable composition for complete waterproofing and is more of a still helpful but mild buffer. They can still get drenched in the worst weather and need to retreat to terrestrial vegetation.