In southeast China, especially in Shanghai, we keep sparrows (mainly eurasia tree sparrows and russet sparrows) as song birds. They can learn songs of other birds if taugth from youth. And sparrows only fed by hand from baby period can adapt the cage environment.
Here is my russet sparrow. When he was a baby bird, I fed him manually once per hour. It was really hard work. In return we are near and dear.
The Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans), also called the Cinnamon or Cinnamon Tree Sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. A chunky little seed-eating bird with a thick bill, it has a body length of 14–15 cm (5.5–5.9 in). Its plumage is mainly warm rufous above and grey below. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with both sexes having a pattern similar to that of the corresponding sex of House Sparrow. Its vocalisations are sweet and musical chirps, which when strung together form a song. The Russet Sparrow is the typical sparrow of human habitations in towns where the House and Eurasian Tree sparrows are absent. The Russet Sparrow prefers higher altitudes in the southern part of its range, but in the north it breeds by the sea.
