Nóta Today, the Italian sparrow is a recognised species of hybrid origin that interbreeds rarely with house sparrows in the north and remains genetically pure by a combination of its large population size, preference for similar-looking mates, and isolated geography. They are the most common bird species in all of Italy. Some five million to ten million pairs live like house sparrows in all the major Italian cities except those on Sicily, Pantelleria, and Sardinia, where only Spanish sparrows reside. Note reference: Marzluff, John M., Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins, Woodpeckers, and Other Wildlife, Yale University Press, 2014, p. 136, https://books.google.be/books?id=j1NmBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA136&dq=%22italian+sparrow+%22&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22italian%20sparrow%20%22&f=false [16.2.2017]