House Sparrows

The Small and Brown Foragers with Wings

Whenever you exit your cozy home to take a morning stroll, or just to go to a destination in mind, you would pass a small bird practically shaped as a mini tangerine, no? But every time you pass, have you ever wondered what the little brown bird is called? Why, they're House sparrows! House sparrows, also known as passer domesticus, arrived into the United States due to the same reasons as European Starlings, an invasive bird species in the United States. The House sparrow was imported to the North America from Europe in the 1850s, both to control insect populations, and for nostalgic reasons. By the 1900s, this bird species has spread to the Rocky Mountains. As time passes, the House sparrow has grown in population and has spread greatly across the United States, which means that they are abundant in population. That explains the reason why you would always see this small and brown forager with wings every time you step out of your front door.

Appearance

House sparrows are medium-sized, stocky sparrows. They have a large round head, short tail and stout bill. Their average height is about 16cm (6.3in) long, weighing between 24—39.5 grams. Appearance of the House sparrows will vary in gender. Males are usually taller than females, and they have white cheeks and a black bib. Differences in appearance would also be seen between non-breeding and breeding males. Adult breeding males have a black bill, mask, throat, and breast. They have a gray cap, rufous (reddish-brown) mask, a white stripe on the shoulder, and their back and wings are reddish with black stripes (as shown below).

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Non-breeding adult males have less black on the throat and breast than when they are breeding, a gray cap, reddish-brown nape (the back of a bird's neck from the base of the skull to the upper back), a bill that's yellowish at the base but darker towards the tip, and gray underparts. Adult females, on the other hand, do not have a black bib because only males do. The black bib of a House sparrow functions as a “badge of status”. Also, females have a much duller, plainer color of brown and gray. Their bill is thick and yellowish, the back and wings are brown with dark streaks, and adult females have grayish underparts but brownish upperparts.

Diet

The House sparrow's diet consists mainly of seeds, but they do feast on other foods. For instance, they would consume grains, seeds, livestock feed, fruits, corn, oat wheat, sorghum, berries, nuts, scraps left by humans, insects, spiders, and about everything else! House sparrows would catch insects in the air, by pouncing on them, following lawnmowers, or visiting lights at dusk. They are birds that forage primarily on ground.

Behavior

House sparrows are aggressive, social, and noisy birds. Unlike pigeons, the House sparrow hops instead of walk. Also, House sparrows can show their emotions by the way they position themselves. Nervous birds will flick their tails, and aggravated birds crouch with their body horizontal, shove their head forward and partially spread and roll forward their wing. The behavior of House sparrows is peculiar. You may think they only bathe in street puddles, but actually, House sparrows also take dust baths. A dust bath is when a sparrow lays on dust or sand, all the while flicking dust over themselves to cleanse its feathers of parasites. Also, House sparrows do not migrate, unlike many other bird species. Studies have shown that 90% of the adults will stay within a radius of one and one-fourth miles during nesting periods. Only when young sets up new territory do exceptions occur.

Predators

The House sparrow does have many predators who think of this bird species as a great meal. Such predators are cats, birds of prey (carnivorous birds), domestic dogs, raccoons, many snakes, and even humans! Today, some humans in the United States consume House sparrows because the birds are not protected by law due to their abundance and habit of wreaking havoc to the American ecosystem. A way the House sparrows avoid being eaten is by foraging in small flocks so that there are many eyes watching out for potential predators. That is one smart plan, don't you agree?

Now that you realize what the House sparrows are, every time you pass these brown birds, observe them closely. Play a game of identifying the gender of each House sparrow you pass (that is what I do, and I think it is indeed a fun game). In fact, you just may realize something about House sparrows that I missed to put in this writing piece. But in order for that to happen, there's just one word for you: discover.