🐾 House Sparrow

House Sparrow

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Who it is

• Scientific name: Passer domesticus
• Family & relatives: A small songbird in the family Passeridae, related to other sparrows and weaver birds.
• How to spot it: A plump little brown-and-gray bird; males have a gray cap and black bib, and females are a soft streaky brown.

Its body & abilities

• Size: About 16 cm long from beak to tail.
• Weight: Only about 24 to 40 g (less than 2 oz).
• Body & adaptations: Its short, strong, cone-shaped beak is perfect for cracking open seeds.
• Top speed: A quick flier that zips along at about 30 to 40 km/h (19 to 25 mph).
• Strength: Small but hardy, it can survive cold winters and busy cities better than most birds.
• Senses: Sharp eyesight and good hearing help it find food and stay alert for danger.
• Growing up: Chicks hatch tiny, bald, and helpless, and both parents feed them until they can fly in about two weeks.

Where it lives

• Habitat: Towns, farms, gardens, and city streets, almost always close to people.
• Where in the world: Native to Europe and Asia and now found on nearly every continent alongside people.
• Territory: Pairs defend a small nesting spot, often a nook in a building or a thick bush.

What it eats

• Diet: Mostly a seed eater, it also enjoys crumbs and insects and drinks from puddles and birdbaths.
• Favorite foods: Seeds, grains, and crumbs, plus insects it feeds to its hungry chicks.
• How it hunts: It hops along the ground pecking for seeds and crumbs, and snaps up insects to feed its young.

How it behaves

• How it moves: Flies in quick bursts and hops rather than walks when on the ground.
• When it is active: Busy and active all through the day, chirping and feeding from dawn to dusk.
• Family life: Very social, it gathers in cheerful, chattering flocks, especially around food.
• How it talks: It talks with a steady stream of cheerful chirps and chips to its flock.
• Babies: A pair builds a cozy nest and the female lays several eggs, which hatch after about two weeks of warming.

Its place in nature

• Role in nature: It helps spread seeds and eat insects; hawks, cats, and owls are among the animals that watch for it.
• Conservation: Listed as Least Concern and very common, though numbers have dipped in some big cities.
• Dangers: The young face the most danger from weather and predators, but sparrows raise many broods to make up for it.

Life & legacy

• How long it lives: About 3 to 5 years in the wild, and some live longer in safe gardens.
• In our culture: One of the most familiar birds in the world, it appears in stories, songs, and sayings across many cultures.
• Where to see it: Right outside, in gardens, parks, farms, and city streets almost everywhere people live.
• Fun fact: House sparrows love being near people so much that they have followed us to nearly every corner of the world.