Basic description
House Sparrow Birds Descriptions
You can find house sparrows where there are houses, and in some places where there are none. Along with the European tern and the rock dove, they are among our most common birds. Their constant presence outside our doors makes them easy to overlook. Some people loathe them for displacing native birds from their nests. But house sparrows, with their ability to live so close to us, are the only beneficiaries of our success.
Tips for the garden
Many see sparrows as pests in their gardens. They are not native and can harm native species. House pigs are so intertwined with people’s lives that they roam your house, even without food. They often visit garden feeders. They eat most birdseed, especially millet, corn, and sunflower. To learn more about what the birds like to eat and the best food, see the list of the common projects for bird feeders.
Feeder Watch
Find this bird.
-
- To find a house sparrow, visit a city. Look for a tame, obvious sparrow jumping on the ground. A sandwich or birdseed can help. Offer it food and it’ll seize it from your hands. In the countryside, look for bright, clean versions of the urban house sparrow. Check around barns, stables, and warehouses. Interesting facts.
- In 1851, someone introduced the house sparrow to Brooklyn, New York. By 1900, it had spread to the Rocky Mountains. Two other 1870s introductions, in San Francisco and Salt Lake City, helped to spread the bird in the West. The house sparrow is now common in most of North America, except for Alaska and northern Canada.
- The house sparrow often takes dust baths. It spreads dirt and dust on its body feathers, as if bathing in water. This lets the sparrow dig a small hole in the ground. It can sometimes defend this spot against other sparrows. The house sparrow prefers to nest in artificial structures. These include sheds, building walls, lampposts, and nesting boxes. It avoids natural nests, like holes in trees.
- The House Sparrow is an excellent model for avian studies. Its enough, easy reproduction, and lack of fear of humans make it so. Researchers have published about 5,000 articles on the House Sparrow. House Sparrows engage in intense combat to defend their nests. In 1889, a scientist reported House Sparrows attacking 70 bird species. House Sparrows sometimes chase other birds from their nests. This includes Eastern Bluebirds, Black Martins, and Tree Swallows.
- House sparrows in groups have a similar feeding order to chickens in a garden. To decode the classification, note the black throats of males. Males with larger black spots tend to be older and more dominant than males with fewer black spots. The warblers can avoid some fights by carrying this info in their feathers. This saves energy. People have observed house sparrows stealing food from American robins. They also pierce flowers to drain their nectar.
- The oldest recorded house sparrow was a female. She was at least 15 years and 9 months old when found in Texas in 2004, the same state where she was born.
The wonderful world of the home garden
Every time you walk out your front door, you’ll likely see them in your yard or driveway. They’re little brown birds in flocks of up to 200. They are small, brown, and nondescript. So many ignore them. Some call them pests. These are house sparrows (Passer domesticus). I have long lamented the fact that the only birds I saw in my garden were these sparrows. So I took the time to sit back and observe what exactly was happening in my backyard. Yes, house sparrows are everywhere and noisy. But they are interesting if you take the time to watch them. I noticed last year that a duck had nested in a hole in my house’s bed. It seems a duck has a nest there again this year. Is it the same one?
Did I speak? I began to wonder if and how groups of sparrows maintain their structure. The house sparrow is not native to the United States. It was introduced from Europe in 1850. Nicholas Pike, director of the Brooklyn Institute, bought eight pairs of sparrows from Liverpool, England. They released them in 1851, but none of them survived. Later that year, he bought another 25 and spent the winter at the institute. These birds were then released into New York parks and began to thrive. But home theater did not spread in the United States without help. The others
Over the next twenty-five years, researchers released sparrows in various parts of the U.S. Their numbers did not explode at once. They settled in all states of the Union over time.
The wonderful world Sparrow
The house sparrow has several key characteristics necessary for a successful invasion. They merge with their environment in a fluid way. They live in pastures, forests, and urban areas. They multiply and thrive at an accelerated rate. The domestic turkey can raise up to five broods of two to seven chicks per season. They are aggressive competitors. They nest much earlier in the spring than many other birds. House sparrows form lifelong pairs, but abandon their partners at will. They live in colonies of up to 40 birds. After accepting a nesting place, they return to it every year. They then settle down for life. This sparrow will remain in this colony, and no one will ever kick it out.
A key fact about these little brown birds is their success. It comes from the military precision with which they organize their flocks. House Sparrows are very social. Without structure, they fight among themselves. This limits their success. Other social group leaders have a trait that shows they are in charge. An example is the silverback in mountain gorilla families.
In the domestic sparrow, it is the size of the black breast on the chest of the male that is decisive. The males with the largest breasts on their chests are the highest in the hierarchy. All sparrows know their rank in this hierarchy. The top sparrow gets the safest places to feed, the largest breeding territory, and the best mates. It is also the first to get food when it is scarce. Scientists don’t know what causes breast size differences. But, they have found one factor.
Positive correlation between male fighting ability and location size. So the next time you leave the house, take a minute to observe the ubiquitous house sparrow. Instead of seeing it as a threat, marvel at the complex social structure that allows it to be so successful.
