Polish sparrow (Passer montanus) is slightly smaller than the well-known house sparrow. It also differs from it by its uniform chestnut-brown head, white collar, and a black mask on the white face. The female and male of this species are equally colored.
Polish sparrow is a resident of cultivated landscapes, where meadows and fields are bordered by species-rich living hedges, at the same time there are enough old trees available where it nests. It hides its nest in a crack or hole in a tree, sometimes using the abandoned nest of some other bird. It also lives on the edge of settlements, but it is not as closely tied to humans as its relative, the house sparrow.
This is a diurnal species that mainly feeds on plant-based food. Seeds are its greatest delight, as also indicated by the shape of its bill. Nevertheless, they like to diversify their diet with insects and other invertebrates. In the early stages of rearing young, they feed the nestlings exclusively with energy-rich invertebrates. The Polish sparrow is a common nest-builder in our country. It is rare only in the mountainous world of the Alpine and Dinaric regions; otherwise it is widespread in Slovenia. It nests from April to June, but in Slovenia it stays year-round.
