Species

House sparrow

Passer domesticus

The chirping sparrow of cities and farms, brought from Europe in the 1850s and now found wherever people live.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Urban wildlife

At a glance

Size: About 14 to 18 cm long
Weight: About 27 to 39 g
Habitat: Towns, cities, farms and shopping centres
Diet: Seeds, grain, insects and scraps
In Georgia: Introduced; common resident around people
Voice: A constant, cheerful "cheep"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Grey crown; chestnut sides of the head; black bib; brown back
Female: Plain brown with a pale eyebrow
Told apart from: Native sparrows, which have streaked breasts or crowns and live away from buildings
Where to look: Car parks, restaurants and farmyards

Behaviour

House sparrows nest in holes in buildings and in nest boxes, often taking over boxes meant for bluebirds. They live in flocks and are rarely found away from people.

Why they matter

House sparrows have lived alongside people for thousands of years. Introduced to Brooklyn in the 1850s, they spread across the continent. In Europe they have declined sharply, for reasons still not fully understood.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A messy mass of grass in a cavity or nest box
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 10 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 14 days
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

House sparrows are not protected like native birds, but still suffer injuries; some rehabilitators do not take non-native birds, so it is worth asking first.
Bluebird boxes need monitoring because house sparrows take them over.

Misconceptions

House sparrows are related to native American sparrows. They are Old World sparrows, not closely related.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Flocks	Pairs claiming nest holes	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Third broods	Young fledging	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 91 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

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