It is largely resident in the west of its range, but Asian birds migrate to more southerly areas, or move down the mountains.

The first formal description of the rock sparrow was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae.

[2] It is now the only species in the genus Petronia that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1829.

It has a patterned brown back and wings, streaked underparts, and a diagnostic, but hard-to-see, yellow throat spot.

This carotenoid-based trait is present in both sexes, and plays an important role during the breeding season, signalling both attractiveness and social status.

Many studies have shown that both males and females prefer a mate with a larger yellow patch.

It has also been shown that male brood defence behaviours increase with greater female ornamentation.