HOUSE SPARROWS- MORE DETAILS

HOUSE SPARROWS MORE DETAILS

       House sparrows were first introduced to North America in the 1850s and have become one of the most widespread birds in southern Canada, the continental United States, Mexico and Central America. They are highly adaptable to urban, suburban and agricultural habitats but are rarely found far from human habitation. House sparrows do not generally migrate but may become nomadic when seeking food sources. House sparrows congregate in large flocks to feed and roost, and bird colonies may be made up of several family flocks. They generally forage on the ground, hopping and scratching with their feet, or in trees and bushes while looking for insects. These birds may become aggressive toward other birds feeding nearby and are bold around humans. Being so used to humans has made house sparrows resourceful in finding unique food supplies. They have been seen inspecting car grills for insects, and will feed on farms searching for spilled seed and grain.

               House sparrows are generally monogamous and will build bulky nests in roof crevices, nesting boxes and natural tree cavities, or they may chase other birds out of nests. The female will incubate   a brood of 4-6 eggs for 14-18 days, then both parents will regurgitate food for the nestlings for 14-18 days until they leave the nest. Depending on the climate, pairs may raise 2-3 broods per year.  For many backyard birders, the challenge is not attracting house sparrows, but rather keeping them away because they are so abundant and aggressive. House sparrows will easily come to either platform or hopper feeders offering mixed seed or sunflower seeds, and they frequently nest along the eaves of houses.

        House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a species of passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It occurs naturally in most of Europe, the  Mediterranean region and much of Asia. It has also been intentionally or accidentally introduced to many parts of the world, making it the most widely distributed wild bird. It is strongly associated with human habitations, but it is not the only sparrow species found near houses. It is a small bird, with feathers mostly different shades of brown and grey.

     The House Sparrow is a chunky bird typically about 16 centimeters (6.3 in) long, ranging from 14–18 centimeters (5.5–7.1 in) It has a large rounded head, a short tail, and a stout bill. In weight, the House Sparrow generally ranges from 24–39.5 grams (0.85–1.39 oz).Weight varies by sex, with females usually smaller than males. Younger birds are smaller, males are larger during the winter, and females larger during the breeding season. Between and within subspecies, there is further variation based on latitude, altitude, climate, and other environmental factors, under biological rules such as Bergmann’s rule the plumage of the House Sparrow is mostly different shades of grey and brown. The sexes differ with females and juveniles mostly buff, and the male marked with bold colours. The male is duller in fresh non-breeding plumage, with buff tips on many feathers. Wear and preening expose bright markings of brown and black, including a throat and chest patch, called a "bib" or a "badge".  This patch is variable in width and general size, and some scientists have suggested that patches signal social status or fitness, a hypothesis which has led to a "veritable 'cottage industry'" of studies, which have only conclusively shown that patches increase in size with age. In breeding plumage, the male's  crown is grey, and it is marked with black on its throat and beneath its crown. The cheeks and under parts are pale grey. The mantle and upper back are a warm brown, broadly streaked with black, while the lower back, rump and upper tail coverts are a greyish-brown. The female has no black on head or throat, nor are a grey crown and its upperparts streaked with brown.  The juvenile is deeper brown, and the white is replaced by buff; the beak is pink to dull yellow.

       There is some variation in the twelve subspecies of House Sparrow. The subspecies are divided into two groups, the  Oriental  indicus group, and  the palaearctic domestics group. Birds of the domesticus group have grey cheeks, while indicus group birds have white cheeks, as well as bright colouration on the crown, a smaller bill, and a longer black bib. The subspecies Passer domesticus tingitanus differs little from the nominate subspecies, except in the worn breeding plumage of the male, in which the head is speckled with black and underparts are paler. P. d. balearoibericus is slightly paler than the nominate but darker than P. d. bibilicus P. d. bibilicus is paler than most subspecies, but has the grey cheeks of domesticus group birds. The similar P. d. persicus is paler and smaller, and P. d. niloticus is nearly identical but smaller. Of the less wide ranging indicus group subspecies, P. d. hyrcanus is larger than P. d. indicus, P. d. bactrianus is larger and paler, P. d. parkini is larger and darker with more black on the breast than any other subspecies, and P. d. hufufae is pal

     The House Sparrow can be confused with a number of other seed-eating birds, especially its relatives in the genus Passer. Many of these relatives are smaller, with an appearance that is neater or "cuter", as with the Dead Sea sparrow The dull-coloured female often cannot be distinguished from other birds, and it is nearly identical to the females of the  Spanish sparrow and Italian sparrow  The Eurasian Tree sparrow is smaller and more slender with a chestnut crown and a black patch on each cheek.The male Spanish Sparrow and Italian Sparrow are distinguished by their chestnut crowns. The Sind sparrow is smaller, with the male less black on the throat and the female usually having a distinct pale supercilium.

       All of the House Sparrow's  vocalizations are variations on its short and incessant chirping call. Transcribed as chirrup, tschilp, or philip, this note is made as a contact call by flocking or resting birds, or by males to proclaim nest ownership and invite pairing. In the breeding season this call becomes what is called an "ecstatic call", which is similar to a song, as it is uttered by the male at great speed Young birds, especially in captivity, also give a true song, a warbling similar to that of  the European Greenfinch Aggressive male House Sparrows give a trilled version of their call, transcribed as "chur-chur-r-r-it-it-it-it". This call is also used by females in the breeding season, to establish dominance over males while displacing them to feed young or incubate eggs. The House Sparrow gives a nasal alarm call, the basic sound of which is transcribed as quer, and it gives a shrill "chree" call in great distress Another House Sparrow vocalisation is what has been described as an "appeasement call", a soft quee given to inhibit aggression, usually by a mated pair These vocalisations are not unique to the House Sparrow, but are shared with small variations by all sparrows

     The House Sparrow is part of the sparrow genus passer, which contains about 20 species, depending on the authority Most species in the genus are between 11 and 16 cm (4–6 in) long, dull-coloured birds with short square tails and stubby conical beaks Mitochondrial DNA  suggest that  speciation in Passer occurred during  the Pleistocene and earlier, while other evidence suggests speciation occurred 25,000 to 15,000 years ago. Within Passer, the House Sparrow is part of the palearctic black-bibbed sparrows" group and a close relative of the Mediterranean "willow sparrows

Prof. John Kurakar