About Gymnoris xanthocollis (Burton, 1838)
This species has a finer bill than typical sparrows in the genus Passer, and unlike those sparrows, it has no streaks in its plumage. A white double wing bar on the shoulder is a distinguishing feature of this otherwise dull grey-brown sparrow-sized bird. Males have a chestnut shoulder patch, which can sometimes be difficult to see, and also have a pale yellow throat spot when their plumage is fresh. Females are duller in color, lack the chestnut shoulder patch, and have a greatly reduced or absent yellow throat spot. This is a tree-preferring species, though it is sometimes seen on wires and on the ground, where it moves with a hopping gait. Its usual call is a chirrup, while its song is a distinctive, repetitive sequence of chilp chalp cholp. It has a bounding flight pattern, dipping deeply before rising back up. The chestnut-shouldered petronia ranges from Turkey into Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh; it occurs as a vagrant in Sri Lanka, and possibly also in parts of Myanmar. It inhabits forests, gardens, and open scrub habitats.
