Common Name: House Sparrow
Scientific Name: Passer domesticus
Scientific Family : Passeridae
Scientific Order : Passeriformes
Appearance: House Sparrows are small, chunky sparrows with large heads, stout bills, and short tails and wings (length 6 inches [19 cm], weight: .98 oz [ 28 g]).. Male underparts show pale gray, while the postocular stripe, rump, tail, crown and cheeks are metallic gray. The male's bill, bib, lores, throat, and breast are black. The male's chestnut nape, brown wings, and back are streaked with black. Female plumage is dull brown with darker brown streaking on the back and wings and overall lacks the prominent black, brown, chestnut, and gray coloration of the males. Juvenile plumage resembles females.
Habitat/Where to find: The House Sparrow occurs abundantly in the immediate vicinity of human habitation, including urban areas, small towns, city parks, and farms. Small populations exist at isolated ranches, gas stations, and roadside rest areas, but this species is absent away from human dwellings. The House Sparrow resides from northeast British Columbia east to Newfoundland, south throughout the U.S., most of Mexico, and locally as far south as Panama. This species is native to Europe and large parts of Asia, but has been introduced to many parts of the world.
Sounds: The House Sparrow is noisy, but sings only one song - a long series of nearly identical chirps – the "cheep" song, sometimes rendered as " cheep-cheep-cheep". Like many species, House Sparrows produce a number of context-specific calls, including mate interaction calls: "wheea" and "quee"; danger calls: "quer" and "chree"; and conflict calls: "click", and chur".
Behavior: House Sparrows are very gregarious birds, frequently associating in small flocks. In the winter, they often roost in very large numbers. House Sparrows are capable, swift fliers but the typical form of locomotion is hopping on the ground. Males courting females hop in their direction with ritualized displays involving stiff movements with the head up, chest forward, wings slightly extended, and tail elevated and fluffed. Male displays frequently attract competitors, resulting in group displays.
Reproduction: House Sparrows breed monogamously in small colonies. Both sexes defend small areas around the nest from other members of the same sex. Both males and females construct nests in artificial or natural cavities using grass, straw, and twigs. Nest substrates include tree hollows, eaves of buildings, bird boxes, and the nests of other species such as bluebirds and swallows. Nest linings are composed of soft material such as feathers, hair, or scraps of fabric. House Sparrows compete aggressively with each other and other species for nest sites, often evicting the previous inhabitants.
Food Habits:House Sparrows mainly forage in small flocks for grass and forb seeds. They often forage on the ground but also search trees and shrubs for seeds, and other foods such as spiders, blossoms, insects, nectar, and fruits. Sometimes House Sparrows catch insects in flight or follow lawn mowers to glean moths that become disturbed.
Vital Statistics: House Sparrows are one of the few well-studied wild birds, so most aspects of their biology are well understood. The longevity record for a wild individual is 13 years. Annual adult survival is 57% and survival during the first year is 20%. Some juvenile females attain breeding condition within 4 months of hatching.
Migration/Dispersal: House Sparrows are year-round, non-migratory residents in North America. Most juveniles disperse from their natal colony, while breeding adults remain sedentary. The first New World population was established in New York City in 1850, and subsequent introductions combined with dispersal populated towns and cities across North America by 1910. Environmental variation resulted in geographic differentiation, with individuals in the north and east generally larger and more brightly colored than individuals in the south and west.