House Sparrow

House Sparrow,adult male, breeding plumage

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House Sparrow, adult male, non-breeding plumage

House Sparrow, adult female, winter

House Sparrow nest

House Sparrow eggs

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The Sparrow to many, the House Sparrow was introduced into North America from its native Europe in the 1850s. It successfully spread across the continent, and is abundant in urban and agricultural habitats. Although it is found in many remote places, it nearly always stays near people and their buildings.

Description

• Small, stocky songbird.
• Bill thick.
• Legs short.
• Chest unstreaked.
• Wingbars.
• Male with black throat and white cheeks.

• Size: 14-16 cm (6-6 in)
• Wingspan: 19-25 cm (7-10 in)
• Weight: 26-32 g (0.92-1.13 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male with reddish back and black bib, female brown with eyestripe.

Sound

Calls a slightly metallic "cheep, chirrup." Song a series of cheeps.

Conservation Status

Competition from the House Sparrow for cavity nests can cause decline of some native species. House Sparrow populations declining across most of range. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Moineau domestique (French)
Gorrión domestico, Gorrión común (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The House Sparrow was introduced into Brooklyn, New York, in 1851. By 1900 it had spread to the Rocky Mountains. Its spread throughout the West was aided by additional introductions in San Francisco, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

• The House Sparrow has been present in North America long enough for evolution to have influenced their morphology. Populations in the north are larger than those in the south, as is generally true for native species (a relationship known as Bergman's Rule).

• Although not a water bird, the House Sparrow can swim if it needs to, such as to escape a predator. Sparrows caught in a trap over a water dish tried to escape by diving into the water and swimming underwater from one part of the trap to another.

• The House Sparrow is a frequent dust bather. It throws soil and dust over its body feathers, just as if it were bathing with water.

Sources used to construct this page:

Lowther, P. E. and C. L. Cink. 1992. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). In The Birds of North America, No. 12 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.