House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

Order : Passeriformes

Family : Passeridae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 15 cm
Wingspan : 25 cm
Weight : 30 g

Longevity : 13 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Gråsparv (sv), Gorrión moruno (es), Passera d'Italia (it), Haussperling (al), Italiaanse Mus (nl), House Sparrow (en)

Physical description :
House Sparrow adult male has brown back with black streaking. Scapulars are chestnut. Wings are brownish with white wing bar. Rump is grey. Tail is dark grey brown.
Underparts are paler, with dull grey breast and belly. In breeding plumage, male has a black bib.
Head is dark, with grey crown, bordered by chestnut extending down back of neck. It has white cheeks and sides of neck. A black stripe crosses the eyes, and meets the black bib.
Conical bill is dark grey-black. Eyes are dark. Legs and feet are pale brown.
Outside breeding plumage, male lacks black bib and has duller plumage.
Female lacks chestnut and black colours of the male. She has greyish brown crown, and greyish buff supercilium stripe. Upperparts and wings are greyer than in male. Belly is dull white. Bill and legs are pale brown.
Juvenile male is similar to female, but with darker crown and light greyish bib.

Voice :
Sound from CD 'Tous les Oiseaux d'Europe' by Jean C. Roché by courtesy of Sittelle and CEBA. House Sparrow typical call is a strong 'chee-ep', some 'chissick' and a monotonous 'chip'.
When excited, it gives a deep rattling 'churr-r-r-it-it-it-it'. When in flight, it utters a short 'chveet' or 'churrip'.
Its song is a series of repeated 'chirp' and 'chissick'.

Habitat : House Sparrow lives in all kinds of areas modified by humans, such as farms, residential and urban areas. They avoid woodlands, deserts, forests and grasslands.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: House Sparrow is distributed worldwide (except the Poles). Native to Eurasia and North Africa, it was introduced into South Africa, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand.
In North America, 100 birds were released in Brooklyn, New York, in 1851. They are now common and widespread throughout their entire range.

Behaviour : House Sparrow feeds mainly on the ground, hopping around with flicking tail. It also forages in shrubs and trees, in rural and urban areas. It captures insects on the wing, pursuing them in the air.
House Sparrow moves easily, hopping and bowing to forage on the ground. They forage in flocks to avoid predators, with many birds watching out for potential predators.
House Sparrow is very gregarious all year round, forming large flocks in fall and winter.
They nest in colonies, with several pairs (6 to 20) under the same roof or in holes in a building. House Sparrow is rarely seen singly, except when injured or diseased.
During spring, it tends to destroy yellow flowers, but reason is unknown.
They roost in communal places and they may gather several hundreds of birds, very close to each other, forming noisy flock.
Courtship display is spectacular. Several males call around a shy female, with pointed bills upwards and open wings dropped until the ground, erecting their fanned-tails. Female pecks them and they fly away. These displays often end with fights between males, even without female. They are monogamous for one season.
Breeding starts in May. Older birds keep the same nest year after year, but young may build a new nest.
House Sparrow protects strongly its nest site. They threaten and attack numerous species of birds coming into their nesting territory. Males attack males, and females attack females.

Flight : House Sparrow has swift bounding flight, alternating rapid wing beats with brief periods with close wings.
Its flight is fast and direct, with whirring wings. When it is flying high over long distances, it performs gently undulating flight.

Reproduction-nesting : House Sparrow nests in crevices and holes inside or on buildings, under roofs of houses and in hollows in trees. Both sexes build the nest with dried grasses, feathers, strings and paper.
Female lays 1 to 8 eggs, usually 3 to 5 greyish-white eggs, spotted with dark grey and purplish. Incubation begins with the last egg laid, and lasts about 10 to 14 days, shared by both adults. They incubate for short periods of a few minutes each.
Altricial chicks are fed by both parents, by regurgitated food. Young fledge at bout two weeks after hatching, and they become independent at about 26 to 28 days of age.
This species may produce four clutches per year, usually three.

Food habits : House Sparrow feeds on seeds and insects, but also fruit, larvae, earthworms and spiders.

Protection / threats : House Sparrows are preyed upon by raptors, but also by domestic cats and dogs, raccoons and snakes.
Because they are abundant near human habitations, House Sparrows become an important nuisance, a competitive of native birds and an agricultural pest.
However, even with some decline due to changes in agriculture, this species is common and widespread.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife

Specification sheet created by Nicole Bouglouan

Qui sommes-nous ? L'association | Mentions légales | Sources | Contacts | Print version
Updated on 2008/05/04 05:30:55 - © 1996-2008 Oiseaux.net