Garden Wildlife
Garden Wildlife
Garden Wildlife
Garden Wildlife
Male house sparrow Female house sparrow
What do they look like?
A small (14cm - same size as a robin) brown bird, with complicated dark streaking and creamy stripes and patches on the back. Somewhat similar to a dunnock, house sparrows don’t have the same rather dull overall appearance and they give the impression of being a bit larger because of their boisterous manner and somewhat more robust build. The heads are much lighter overall.
Males have a white face and grey forehead and crown, with brown nape. They have a black bib (variable in size) below the bill. The rump is grey, and the chest, belly and flanks unstreaked greyish white. Females and young birds have a streaky crown, forehead and nape with a prominent creamy stripe behind the eye. The bill is short and stout, suggesting a granivorous diet.
One confusion that may occur in some places is with the tree sparrow. This is very similar to the house sparrow but with both sexes identical, both having a brown cap rather than the grey or streaky one of house sparrow and with a black mark on the white cheek. See our "sparrows" page to compare species.
What do they sound like?
House sparrows have a wide range of chirping calls and song. The contact call is a piercing ‘cheep’ which can be repeated for long periods. Their alarm call is a scolding rattle:
Contact call Alarm call
House sparrow Passer domesticus
Once one of our most abundant birds in cities and countryside, the house sparrow population is a shadow of its former self. However they are still familiar birds in most places. Their shamelessly public life-style and noisy flocks make them seem much more numerous than they actually are.
-Relic38.jpg "Female house sparrow By Darren Swim - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7921151")
What do they eat?
As you can see from the thick bill, house sparrows are primarily grain and seed eaters. They were really abundant around farms where scattered grain was abundant before modern hygiene meant the supply greatly reduced. In bygone days they were equally numerous in cities when spilled horse-feed was abundant. They eat seeds, fats and scraps in garden feeding stations. One reason they have declined in recent years is that their chicks are fed on insects, and with reduced insect populations in the suburbs there is less to feed them on.
What do they do?
House sparrows are most common in villages, town and cities where there are lots of people. They are highly social birds, living in roving noisy flocks and nesting in colonies in roof spaces, derelict buildings and old trees. They build large untidy nests of twigs. Another reason they have declined recently is the sealing up of old roof spaces as people renovate older houses. House sparrows are not afraid of people, having associated with humans from the dawn of civilisations, sparrows being referenced in ancient literature. Much of their activity is done socially, with groups of house sparrows flitting around together, bathing (in water or dust) and feeding together. Living much of their lives as noisy flocks in full view they are really entertaining and charming birds.
How are they doing?
The house sparrow used to be the most abundant bird in our cities and towns, as well as occupying farms and country residences. With the decline of horse transport numbers fell in the cities during the 20th century in the UK and other urbanised countries. From 1975 to 2000 there was a population crash of about 70% amongst house sparrows in town and country and the population in 2016 was estimated at 5.3 million pairs. The population seems roughly stable now. This fall may be partly due to reductions in food supply resulting from changes in agriculture, and maybe also due to disease (eg trichomoniasis). From being one of our most abundant birds 100 years ago house sparrows are now red Listed as of highest concern for conservation, more so because the reasons for their decline are not clear.
Finding out more :
BTO profile on house sparrow
RSPB profile on house sparrow
Page written by Roy Smith, compiled by Steve Head
Shailesh Patel, XC637964. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/637964.
Joost van Bruggen, XC578626. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/578626.
House sparrow Passer domesticus
Once one of our most abundant birds in cities and countryside, the house sparrow population is a shadow of its former self. However they are still familiar birds in most places. They are the seventh most common garden bird, found in about 63% of gardens. Their shamelessly public life-style and noisy flocks make them seem much more numerous than they actually are.
Male house sparrow Female house sparrow
What do they look like?
A small (14cm - same size as a robin) brown bird, with complicated dark streaking and creamy stripes and patches on the back. Somewhat similar to a dunnock, house sparrows don’t have the same rather dull overall appearance and they give the impression of being a bit larger because of their boisterous manner and somewhat more robust build. The heads are much lighter overall.
Males have a white face and grey forehead and crown, with brown nape. They have a black bib (variable in size) below the bill. The rump is grey, and the chest, belly and flanks unstreaked greyish white. Females and young birds have a streaky crown, forehead and nape with a prominent creamy stripe behind the eye. The bill is short and stout, suggesting a granivorous diet.
One confusion that may occur in some places is with the tree sparrow. This is very similar to the house sparrow but with both sexes identical, both having a brown cap rather than the grey or streaky one of house sparrow and with a black mark on the white cheek. See our "sparrows" page to compare species.
What do they sound like?
House sparrows have a wide range of chirping calls and song. The contact call is a piercing ‘cheep’ which can be repeated for long periods. Their alarm call is a scolding rattle:
Contact call Alarm call
What do they eat?
As you can see from the thick bill, house sparrows are primarily grain and seed eaters. They were really abundant around farms where scattered grain was abundant before modern hygiene meant the supply greatly reduced. In bygone days they were equally numerous in cities when spilled horse-feed was abundant. They eat seeds, fats and scraps in garden feeding stations. One reason they have declined in recent years is that their chicks are fed on insects, and with reduced insect populations in the suburbs there is less to feed them on.
What do they do?
House sparrows are most common in villages, town and cities where there are lots of people. They are highly social birds, living in roving noisy flocks and nesting in colonies in roof spaces, derelict buildings and old trees. They build large untidy nests of twigs. Another reason they have declined recently is the sealing up of old roof spaces as people renovate older houses. House sparrows are not afraid of people, having associated with humans from the dawn of civilisations, sparrows being referenced in ancient literature. Much of their activity is done socially, with groups of house sparrows flitting around together, bathing (in water or dust) and feeding together. Living much of their lives as noisy flocks in full view they are really entertaining and charming birds.
How are they doing?
The house sparrow used to be the most abundant bird in our cities and towns, as well as occupying farms and country residences. With the decline of horse transport numbers fell in the cities during the 20th century in the UK and other urbanised countries. From 1975 to 2000 there was a population crash of about 70% amongst house sparrows in town and country and the population in 2016 was estimated at 5.3 million pairs. The population seems roughly stable now. This fall may be partly due to reductions in food supply resulting from changes in agriculture, and maybe also due to disease (eg trichomoniasis). From being one of our most abundant birds 100 years ago house sparrows are now red Listed as of highest concern for conservation, more so because the reasons for their decline are not clear.
Finding out more :
Page written by Roy Smith, compiled by Steve Head