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Description

Species Name: House Sparrow

Species Latin Name: Passer domesticus

Native To: Most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: My Frontyard

Size (length): 14-18cm (5.5 – 7.1 inches)

Weight: 24-40g (0.9 – 1.4 oz)

Lifespan: 2-23 years

Tail Length: 5.2-6.5 (2.0 – 2.6 inches)

Wingspan: 19-25cm (7.5 – 9.8 inches)

Top Speed: 40kmh (24.9 mph)

Population Size: 896 – 1.3 million

Baby Name: Chick

Sub Species:

Passer domesticus Domesticus (Located in most of Europe, across northern Asia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka. It is the most introduced species)

Passer domesticus Balearoibericus (Located in the Balearic Islands, Southern France, The Balkans, and in Anatolia)

Passer domesticus tingitanus (Located in Maghreb from Ajdabiya in Libya to Beni Abbes in Aleria)

Passer domesticus Niloticus (Located along the Nile north of Wadi Halfa, Sudan.)

Passer domesticus Persicus (Located in western and central Iran south of the Alborz Mountains.)

Passer domesticus Biblicus (Located in the Middle East from Cyprus and southeastern Turkey to the Sinai in the west from Azerbaijan to Kuwait in the east.)

Passer domesticus Hyrcanus (Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Seafrom Gorgan to southeastern Azerbaijan.)

Passer domesticus Bactrianus (Located in southern Kazakhstan to the Tian Shan and northern Iran and Afghanistan.)

Passer domesticus Parkini (Located in the Western Himilayas from the Pamir Mountains to southeastern Nepal.)

Passer domesticus Indicus (Located in the indian subcontinent south of the Himilayas, in Sri Lanka, western Southeast Asia, eastern Iran, southwest Arabia and southern Israel.)

Passer domesticus Hufufae (Located in northeastern Arabia)

Passer domesticus Rufidorsalis (Located in Nile Valley fro Wadi Halfa south to Renk in northern South Sudan, and in eastern Sudan. Also located in northern Ethiopia to the Red Sea coast in Eritrea.

Description:

The house sparrow is a compact bird with a full chest and a large rounded head. Their bill is stout and conical and is strongly built for eating and breaking apart seeds. Their tails are relatively short. The females are generally smaller than the males, the male will have a conspicuous grey crown, black face and throat, and dark black and brown underparts. The remainder of the underparts are pale grey-brown. During breeding season the black of the throat extends down to the chest and upper belly, their bills also change from brown to black during this time. Generally the female will be a little paler in comparison to the male whilst also lacking the black crown and face, instead she will have a pale buff eye stripe instead. It is noted that this species of bird is actually a type of large finch and not actually a sparrow despite its name.

Many other species of sparrow can easily be confused for the House Sparrow. In Australia the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is easily confused with the House Sparrow at a distance. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is smaller with a more slender body, these birds also have a chestnut crown. The black patch on the Eurasian Tree Sparrows cheeks appears to be the easiest way to distinguish them from House Sparrows which lack this particular feature. Both species of sparrow are introduced to Australia and are considered a pest species as they compete and at times out compete native species of birds for resources.

Diet:

One of the biggest aspects of this birds success in so many places of the world is largely due to this bird being able to eat a wide variety of food. The House Sparrow is able to eat insects, spiders, berries, seeds, flower buds, and scraps of food left by humans. These birds have even gone so far to enter buildings such as cafe's, canteens, restaurants, and more to feed on scraps left by people. These birds have even been noted in some instances to know how to activate automatic doors in order to get inside some buildings.

Behaviour:

These birds are usually described as being rather noisy as they tend to be rather vocal with how they communicate. Most vocalizations for these birds are variations on its short and incessant chirping call. These calls can be described as "chirrup", "tschilp", or "philip" which are generally used as a form contact call by resting or flocking birds, it is also used by males who are calling out to attract a female from a nest they have made. Aggressive males give a trilled version of their call which can be described as a "chur-chur-r-r-it-it-it", this aggressive call can also be used by females when asserting dominance to displace the male when caring for their young. They have a nasal type of alarm call which can be described as "quer" or a shrill "chree" call made in great distress. It is also noted that these birds also have a call of appeasement which is generally used between mated pairs, this call is described as a soft "quee" sound. These vocalizations are not all unique to just the House Sparrow, many of these calls are shared between other species of Sparrow as well.

The House Sparrows live monogamous lives and typically mate with the same partner for life. If one of the partners may day the other partner will move on and eventually find another mate to pair with. It is noted that a decent amount of these birds do not mate, instead they will serve as helpers around the nest for mated pairs. This behaviour increases the chance of one of these helpers being chosen as a new mate should one of the mated pairs die.

Males will take claim to a nest by loudly calling next to the nest which are generally made in the eaves and other crevices of houses. Other times nests can be located in holes in cliffs and banks, or the hollows in trees. Males that have no mate will create their own nests and call frequently in order to attract a female. If a female does approach during this time the male will move up and down while drooping and shivering his wings whilst pushing up his head, raising and spreading his tail, and showing his bib.

House Sparrows will breed in colonies and will generally produce two broods per year with four to five eggs per brood. The eggs can vary in colour from white, bluish-white, or greenish white with brown or grey spots. The mother will incubate the eggs for roughly 11-14 days until the eggs hatch, the chicks will be cared for by both parents until they reach independence in 14-16 days. It is noted that these birds are able to mate immediately after reaching independence, in tropical areas it is noted that these birds are capable of breeding when they are only a few months old whilst still having their juvenile plumage.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: House sparrow - Wikipedia

Birdlife: House Sparrow | BirdLife Australia

Kidadl: Amaze-wing Facts About The House Sparrow For Kids (kidadl.com)

Animalia: House Sparrow - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Australian Museum: House Sparrow - The Australian Museum

Birds In Backyards: House Sparrow | BIRDS in BACKYARDS

Description

Species Name: House Sparrow

Species Latin Name: Passer domesticus

Native To: Most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: My Frontyard

Size (length): 14-18cm (5.5 – 7.1 inches)

Weight: 24-40g (0.9 – 1.4 oz)

Lifespan: 2-23 years

Tail Length: 5.2-6.5 (2.0 – 2.6 inches)

Wingspan: 19-25cm (7.5 – 9.8 inches)

Top Speed: 40kmh (24.9 mph)

Population Size: 896 – 1.3 million

Baby Name: Chick

Sub Species:

Passer domesticus Domesticus (Located in most of Europe, across northern Asia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka. It is the most introduced species)

Passer domesticus Balearoibericus (Located in the Balearic Islands, Southern France, The Balkans, and in Anatolia)

Passer domesticus tingitanus (Located in Maghreb from Ajdabiya in Libya to Beni Abbes in Aleria)

Passer domesticus Niloticus (Located along the Nile north of Wadi Halfa, Sudan.)

Passer domesticus Persicus (Located in western and central Iran south of the Alborz Mountains.)

Passer domesticus Biblicus (Located in the Middle East from Cyprus and southeastern Turkey to the Sinai in the west from Azerbaijan to Kuwait in the east.)

Passer domesticus Hyrcanus (Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Seafrom Gorgan to southeastern Azerbaijan.)

Passer domesticus Bactrianus (Located in southern Kazakhstan to the Tian Shan and northern Iran and Afghanistan.)

Passer domesticus Parkini (Located in the Western Himilayas from the Pamir Mountains to southeastern Nepal.)

Passer domesticus Indicus (Located in the indian subcontinent south of the Himilayas, in Sri Lanka, western Southeast Asia, eastern Iran, southwest Arabia and southern Israel.)

Passer domesticus Hufufae (Located in northeastern Arabia)

Passer domesticus Rufidorsalis (Located in Nile Valley fro Wadi Halfa south to Renk in northern South Sudan, and in eastern Sudan. Also located in northern Ethiopia to the Red Sea coast in Eritrea.

Description:

The house sparrow is a compact bird with a full chest and a large rounded head. Their bill is stout and conical and is strongly built for eating and breaking apart seeds. Their tails are relatively short. The females are generally smaller than the males, the male will have a conspicuous grey crown, black face and throat, and dark black and brown underparts. The remainder of the underparts are pale grey-brown. During breeding season the black of the throat extends down to the chest and upper belly, their bills also change from brown to black during this time. Generally the female will be a little paler in comparison to the male whilst also lacking the black crown and face, instead she will have a pale buff eye stripe instead. It is noted that this species of bird is actually a type of large finch and not actually a sparrow despite its name.

Many other species of sparrow can easily be confused for the House Sparrow. In Australia the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is easily confused with the House Sparrow at a distance. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is smaller with a more slender body, these birds also have a chestnut crown. The black patch on the Eurasian Tree Sparrows cheeks appears to be the easiest way to distinguish them from House Sparrows which lack this particular feature. Both species of sparrow are introduced to Australia and are considered a pest species as they compete and at times out compete native species of birds for resources.

Diet:

One of the biggest aspects of this birds success in so many places of the world is largely due to this bird being able to eat a wide variety of food. The House Sparrow is able to eat insects, spiders, berries, seeds, flower buds, and scraps of food left by humans. These birds have even gone so far to enter buildings such as cafe's, canteens, restaurants, and more to feed on scraps left by people. These birds have even been noted in some instances to know how to activate automatic doors in order to get inside some buildings.

Behaviour:

These birds are usually described as being rather noisy as they tend to be rather vocal with how they communicate. Most vocalizations for these birds are variations on its short and incessant chirping call. These calls can be described as "chirrup", "tschilp", or "philip" which are generally used as a form contact call by resting or flocking birds, it is also used by males who are calling out to attract a female from a nest they have made. Aggressive males give a trilled version of their call which can be described as a "chur-chur-r-r-it-it-it", this aggressive call can also be used by females when asserting dominance to displace the male when caring for their young. They have a nasal type of alarm call which can be described as "quer" or a shrill "chree" call made in great distress. It is also noted that these birds also have a call of appeasement which is generally used between mated pairs, this call is described as a soft "quee" sound. These vocalizations are not all unique to just the House Sparrow, many of these calls are shared between other species of Sparrow as well.

The House Sparrows live monogamous lives and typically mate with the same partner for life. If one of the partners may day the other partner will move on and eventually find another mate to pair with. It is noted that a decent amount of these birds do not mate, instead they will serve as helpers around the nest for mated pairs. This behaviour increases the chance of one of these helpers being chosen as a new mate should one of the mated pairs die.

Males will take claim to a nest by loudly calling next to the nest which are generally made in the eaves and other crevices of houses. Other times nests can be located in holes in cliffs and banks, or the hollows in trees. Males that have no mate will create their own nests and call frequently in order to attract a female. If a female does approach during this time the male will move up and down while drooping and shivering his wings whilst pushing up his head, raising and spreading his tail, and showing his bib.

House Sparrows will breed in colonies and will generally produce two broods per year with four to five eggs per brood. The eggs can vary in colour from white, bluish-white, or greenish white with brown or grey spots. The mother will incubate the eggs for roughly 11-14 days until the eggs hatch, the chicks will be cared for by both parents until they reach independence in 14-16 days. It is noted that these birds are able to mate immediately after reaching independence, in tropical areas it is noted that these birds are capable of breeding when they are only a few months old whilst still having their juvenile plumage.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: House sparrow - Wikipedia

Birdlife: House Sparrow | BirdLife Australia

Kidadl: Amaze-wing Facts About The House Sparrow For Kids (kidadl.com)

Animalia: House Sparrow - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Australian Museum: House Sparrow - The Australian Museum

Birds In Backyards: House Sparrow | BIRDS in BACKYARDS