are mostly local, but they may extend into southern France. Similarly, the house sparrow sometimes occurs as a winter visitor in northern Italy. Besides intergrading with the Spanish and house sparrows, the Italian sparrow has been recorded hybridising with the Eurasian tree sparrow. The eggs of the Italian sparrow do not seem to differ from those of the house sparrow. Broods may contain two to eight eggs, with an average of about 5.2. Relationships with humans In most of its range, the Italian sparrow is an abundant and familiar bird of houses. It has been one of the wild birds most commonly consumed as food in Italy. Portrayals of the Italian sparrow or one of its relatives have been found at Pompeii. Like the house sparrow, the Italian sparrow is considered a biological indicator of pollution. References Works cited External links Italian sparrow at the Internet Bird Collection Italian sparrow vocalisations Italian sparrow Birds of Southern Europe Fauna of Italy Italian sparrow Italian sparrow Controversial bird taxa sv:Gråsparv#Italiensk sparv