Cuban sparrow  (Torreornis inexpectata)

Description

The Cuban sparrow belongs to a family of small birds, with medium-sized legs and large feet used to scratch the ground to locate food (3). It is a fairly plump sparrow, with greyish-olive upperparts, with dark streaks, and a chestnut crown. The white throat is bordered by a black whisker, appearing somewhat like a moustache. The rest of the plumage is pale yellow. These sparrows are weak fliers with short and rounded wings (2) (4), and the bill is short and conical, designed for peeling seeds (3). There are three known subspecies; Torreornis inexpectata inexpecta and Torreornis inexpectata varonai are similar in appearance, both being rather bright, whereas Torreornis inexpectata sigmani is duller, with an almost grey crown. Immature birds are paler than adults (2). The call is a short, high-pitched trill at intervals, with a quiet tic-tic-tic. During the breeding season a pair will duet, with a series of rasping, long, high-pitched notes, ending on a deeper note (4).

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