House Sparrow Behavior (1 Viewer)

I have questions on House Sparrow behavior. Last year I observed a male house sparrow at one of our bird houses. He was calling very loud and very repetitive. Every now and then a female would go in the bird house and you could see the male was exited. Then the female would leave and the male would go on with his mating call and then he would leave as well.

I assumed a few things just by watching but I don't want to make educated guesses. It seems the male house sparrow builds the nest himself and one way to attract a female is to have a nice safe nest and you call for a female to come to the male and checkout his nest. Is this true I'm just guessing. It looks like the male builds the nest.

Do they use the same nest the following year if they can? Or do they usually build a new one?

Besides food, water, taking a bath and resting what could have this male been doing when he wasn't at his bird house location calling for females. Do these house sparrows create multiple nests and split their time calling at various nests to better their chance?

My Dad said to me he watched another bird house with house sparrows and a female would go into into the house/nest after the male called for some time. When the female went into the nest a few other males would fly to this location and the male that was already there chased them off and then returned.

Where these multiple males trying to dominate the nest building male to take over his house? I suppose they could have also been ruining his chance with that female so they would have a better chance. But I'm thinking that may work for the male if he keeps the other males away he's showing part of being a food father. Could one male in the confusion of the moment trap the female, copulate, and leave so this couple would be raising his offspring?

I noticed the mating calls of the House Sparrows around April 10 (Massachusetts). The mating calls became less and less as couples paired up. It has been 48 days. Some of those days may have just been the ritual part. I have no idea when most eggs were laid. The babies must have hatched by now, I've seen a tree house a neighbor has put 20 / 30 feet high in a large tree. I used a spotting scope, both the male and the female are going in and out all the time. It's a multi bird house so it could be just the males leaving and coming back.

Every now and then I still hear the house sparrow's loud call. Would this be to communicate something to the other bird? An alert call to all surrounding birds?

I'm sorry for posting so many questions. If anyone knows of a web site or book that explains the different behaviors of birds I would really appreciate it. There are a lot of good websites with bird databases but they don't answer these type of questions. I would love to lean how a golden finches life is like with all the behaviors and aspects. Whats a day like in the summer, fall, winter and spring and all the variable stages in life. Like nest building, breeding, competition on their pecking order. A wolf lays on it's back to show it's submissive. What does a golden finch do?

Thanks

House sparrow vocalizations

I found your post as I am looking for any information on house sparrow behavior, especially their calls.

I might be able to answer some of your questions.

I have recently adopted a blind sparrow, and since he relies on sound and memory I have to communicate with him. For almost a month now I have found myself watching the same group of sparrows that he apparently lived among. See http://www.tropicalbirdsforum.com/f...nd-fledgling-house-sparrow-that-is-blind.html

So, I am trying to learn their “language” as they have words for different things and communicate among the group or with one another.

When sparrows call for each other over some distance, where they cannot see the other bird, they usually make the loud two note whistle sound that slides upward in pitch and repeat it until another bird answers in acknowledgement and/or arrives in reply. I have noticed a quieter call like this when a bird wants to find another bird that was nearby and which is hidden from sight and will fly to the other bird that it was trying to find when the second bird answers back.

I know a few of their calls, but I need to learn their other calls. These are the distinctive calls I have heard house sparrows make:

1. alarm chirp (med) - when one is startled, disturbed or suddenly confused.

2. contentment grunts (quiet) - usually when a rather hungry or happy bird is feasting.

3. love call (med/quiet) like #8 but softer and quieter and with repeated cooing.

4. singing for hapiness/contentment (quiet) - multiple sounds and various parts of other calls. Juvenile male observed.

5. mating song (loud/variable) - mulltiple bursts of three notes in different orders and volume along with a dance in front of female.

6. defensive "watch out" shouts (med/loud) - sparrow warning another to stay back. Sounds like "Eeerrr'.!

7. angry at a dangerous animal/person - multiple angry calls in quick succession usually other members of the group join in this behavior.

8. group call - a loud whistle that slides about two octaves - signal to others to cooperate in order to get food like overcoming a large insect.

9. individual call - the loud "phillip" chirp. Most likely an announcement as its sound is unique among individuals. In addition to adults, fledglings also use this call to seek food from both parents. May be used to attract certain individuals as they recognize each one’s particular ‘voice’.

10. the loud (questioning) call to one another over some distance in order to locate individuals of the group beyond the range of sight (~1 city block). Higher pitch and volume than the close range location call.

11. dual warning calls (loud) - made to intimidate or draw the attention of a predator away from their young or identify a danger to others.

12. food call - a bit like the love call but louder like the group call. It is shorter and not as loud as the group call. It also consists of the three unique pitches and sound of the individual call.

13. close range location call – like the questioning distance call but lower in pitch and duration as well as in volume. Usually when a bird wants to know where a certain bird is when they loose track of where they were just at. This call may possibly have multiple functions or usage like the individual call.

14. ???

They may indeed have a roosting call as do other birds. And they may have a call for water. I have to set up a bird bath outside away from the food to see if they announce the fact. Alot of birds cry out "hawk" to warn other birds of different species that a bird of prey is in sight. And some also do this for snakes and cats.

The songs of young males consist of other sounds and would suggest that they have more specific calls in addition to the ones I have listed here.

I hope this may shed a little light to their sounds and their behavior.

well her is what i know about them and it is not much.

1-over here there breeding time is on February.

2-the young ones stay with there parents for a long time maybe until.

3-they always live in groups of maybe 20 individuals.

4-the loudest calls are for the young waiting ones, due to hunger.

5-house sparrows at least over here prefer to live in holes rather than nests and they don't take other birds nest, i know that for sure because my garden trees are full of abandon weaver's nest and no house sparrow ever occupied one, usually the silvebills do that.

thanks for this lovely discussion.