Bhutan (B), China (mainland), India, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea (B), Pakistan, Russia (Asian), South Korea (B), Taiwan (China), Thailand, Vietnam.
Vagrant to Afghanistan.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Russet Sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus) [XC182984]
by Frank Lambert from near Dongzhai Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China (call)
Russet Sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus) [XC547694]
by Andrew Spencer from Overa, Jammu and Kashmir, India (call)
Subspecies
Has been considered to form a superspecies with Somali Sparrow (Passer castanopterus), and sometimes treated as conspecific.
Proposed subspecies batangensis (described from western Batang area of Sichuan, in China) considered synonymous with intensior.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
cinnamomeus (Temminck, 1835) - North-eastern Afghanistan eastern in Himalayas (mostly above 1800 m) to southern China (southern and south-eastern Xizang and southern Qinghai) and north-eastern India (Arunchal Pradesh).
intensior Rothschild, 1922 - North-eastern India (Assam), south-central and southern China, and northern Myanmar east to northern Laos and north-western Vietnam.
rutilans (Temminck, 1836) - North-central and eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, southern Sakhalin I, southern Kuril Is and Japan.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet