House Sparrow

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is native to Eurasia and the northern edge of the African continent, but is now found in most regions of the world where humans live. This species is mainly associated with humans, living around buildings in settings ranging from isolated rural farms to major urban centers, although population density and breeding success are generally higher in suburban environments than in cities or rural areas. House Sparrows have a mainly vegetarian diet, feeding especially on weed and grass seeds or waste grain, but also on buds, berries, and a range of scraps from humans. During the summer, animal material can account for as much as 10% of the diet and, as opportunists, House Sparrows may take small frogs. mollusks, and crustaceans where available. Nestlings are fed mainly insects for the first few days after hatching . House Sparrows generally occur in flocks, often quite large ones outside the breeding season. Breeding is mainly in loose colonies of 10 to 20 pairs. Nest building is initiated by an unmated male, but assisted by his mate after pair formation. Nests are typically built in artificial or natural cavities or crevices. These birds are remarkably catholic in their choice of a nest site, with nests reported from moving machinery and even from 640 m below ground in a coal mine in England. Clutch size is typically 3 to 6 eggs. Incubation (for 10 to 14 days) is by both parents. Both parents also feed the nestlings, which leave the nest around two weeks after hatching. Two or three clutches are typically produced each year. House Sparrows are non-migratory over most of their native and introduced range. This species is among the more abundant birds in the world: the total European population in the 1980s and 1990s probably exceeded 50,000,000 breeding pairs, with an estimated world total of around 500,000,000 pairs. However, significant population declines have been reported in recent years over parts of the native and introduced range (although range expansion elsewhere has continued). (Kaufman 1996; Summers-Smith 2009 and references therein)

A medium-sized (6 inches) Old World sparrow, the male House Sparrow is most easily identified by its mottled brown back, gray belly and crown, black “bib,” white cheeks, and chestnut head patches. Females are mottled gray-brown overall with a faint pale eye stripe. This species may be confused with a several other brownish species of Old World sparrows, but is almost unmistakable in areas where it occurs alone. House Sparrows are unrelated to similarly-patterned New World “sparrows,” which are in the same family as the Old-World buntings. The House Sparrow is native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of West and South Asia. Today, this species inhabits almost every temperate and subtropical locality on earth as a result of introductions by humans. Notable releases include that of around one hundred birds in Brooklyn, NY in the early 1850s, after which began the House Sparrow’s colonization of the United States and southern Canada. Other non-native populations exist in southern South America, South Africa, Australasia, and on oceanic islands around the world. Some House Sparrows in Central Asia migrate short distances south during the winter, while native and non-native populations elsewhere are non-migratory. House Sparrows inhabit an extraordinary variety of habitats around the world, including subtropical forests, dry deserts, temperate forests, and grasslands. This species is particularly successful at utilizing human-altered environments, and is found in high concentrations in agricultural and urban areas where food and man-made nesting sites are plentiful. House Sparrows primarily eat seeds and grains, including important cereal crops, although this species will also eat insects during the summer. In temperate and subtropical parts of the world, the House Sparrow is often one of the most visible bird species, particularly in urban areas. House Sparrows may be observed foraging for food in fields, hedgerows, parks, and even on bare sidewalk. This species is a cavity nester, and, as its name suggests, is particularly attracted to nesting in the eaves of buildings. House Sparrows are primarily active during the day.