Editing Old World sparrow (section)

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:Beytika bicûk nêr.jpg|thumb|A male [[Dead Sea sparrow]] in southeastern Turkey]]

The Old World sparrows are indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. In the [[Americas]], Australia, and other parts of the world, settlers imported some species which quickly naturalised, particularly in urban and degraded areas. House sparrows, for example, are now found throughout North America, Australia (every state except [[Western Australia]]), parts of southern and eastern Africa, and over much of the heavily populated parts of South America.<ref name=HBW>{{cite book|first=J. Denis|last=Summers-Smith|editor=del Hoyo, Josep |editor2=Elliott, Andrew |editor3=Christie, David|contribution=Family Passeridae (Old World Sparrows)|title=Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows|year=2009|location=Barcelona|publisher=Lynx Edicions|isbn=978-84-96553-50-7|title-link=Handbook of the Birds of the World}}</ref>

The Old World sparrows are generally birds of open habitats, including [[grasslands]], [[deserts]], and [[scrubland]]. The snowfinches and ground-sparrows are all species of high latitudes. A few species, like the Eurasian tree sparrow, inhabit open [[woodland]].<ref name=HBW/> The aberrant [[cinnamon ibon]] has the most unusual habitat of the family, inhabiting the canopy of [[cloud forest]] in the Philippines.<ref name="Fjeldså"/>