House Sparrow

Passer domesticusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)

House Sparrow Female - The female House Sparrow lacks the black throat, is paler overall, and has a buff eye stripe. The bill is pale buff.

House Sparrow - The male House Sparrow has black-streaked brown upperparts and pale gray underparts. The wings are brown with a single white bar. The cheeks and crown are pale gray, contrasting with a black throat, upper breast, and bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

House Sparrow

House Sparrow: Medium-sized, stocky sparrow with black-streaked brown upperparts and pale gray underparts. Wings are brown with single white bar. Cheeks and crown are pale gray, contrasting with black throat, upper breast, and bill. Legs are shorter and black bill is thicker than in native sparrows.

● Song: "cheep-cheep-cheep"

● Foraging & Feeding: House Sparrow: Diet consists of insects, seeds, and fruits; forages on the ground, in trees and shrubs, usually in urban and rural areas.

● Breeding & nesting: House Sparrow: Three to seven blue or green eggs, spotted with gray and brown, are laid in a loose nest made of grass, feathers, strips of paper, string, and similar debris, and built in a man-made or natural cavity; also nests in bird boxes. Incubation ranges from 10 to 14 days and is carried out mostly by the female.

● Similar species: House Sparrow: Eurasian Tree Sparrow has a black spot on ear coverts and an entirely brown crown. Unstreaked, gray underparts and large, pale bill distinguishes the female from other sparrows.

Flight Pattern

Swift bounding flight., Alternates several rapid wing beats with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

● Range & Habitat: House Sparrow: Native to Britain, northern Scandinavia, and northern Siberia to northern Africa, Arabia, India, and Burma. Introduced and established worldwide except in Antarctica; resident throughout temperate North America. Preferred habitats include cities, towns, and agricultural areas.

^BreedingMonogamous, Some promiscuous

^PopulationWidespread, Abundant

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight1 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America

House Sparrow

House Sparrow

Flight Pattern