From Opus

Passer domesticus

Includes: Indian Sparrow

Contents 1 Identification 1.1 Male 1.2 Female 2 Distribution 3 Taxonomy 4 Habitat 5 Behaviour 5.1 Nesting 5.2 Diet 5.3 Vocalisation 6 External Links

[edit] Identification

L 14-16 cm.

[edit] Male

• Grey crown (brown in italiae)
• Bold black bib with white cheeks,most prominent in the breeding season
• Horn colored bill (black in non-breeding season)

[edit] Female

• Duller without head pattern
• Cream eyestripe (lacking in the male)
  

In both sexes the back is brown and heavily streaked.

[edit] Distribution

Worldwide. Deliberately introduced by man on several continents, this bird is an unwelcome addition to the local ecologies, and another glaring example of the folly of introduction of alien species. They are now widespread on all the continents but Antarctica, compete with native species, and have been shown to kill endemics.

[edit] Taxonomy

Twelve or more subspecies share the original distribution area, with indicus being smaller with whiter cheeks and more rufous in the crown. Bactrianus is similar to indicus and is found in a different habitat than domesticus in the same area. In Central Asia domesticus is a resident species while bactrianus migrates to the Indian Subcontinent. Some authors therefore split bactrianus (with indicus) as Indian Sparrow.
The form italia (Italian Sparrow) is taxonomically not well understood. It has traditionally been included in House Sparrow, but some authorities think it is a form of Spanish Sparrow, some think it may be a stable population of hybrids between House and Spanish Sparrows, and there has even been sources treating it as a full species. Below is a link to a discussion thread on the taxonomic status of this form.

[edit] Habitat

Human settlement.
Bactrianus is found in grassland along riverbanks and avoids human settlement.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Nesting

Nests of grass, wool, feathers and other soft materials are made in holes in buildngs or other structures, though house sparrows will also breed in thick ivy and natural structures. 4 eggs are laid, and incubated for 12 days.

[edit] Diet

Includes seeds, soft buds, fruit, insects, spiders and any food scraps from humans or on bird tables.

[edit] Vocalisation

A flock of about 200 sparrows, recorded at Titchwell bird reserve, Norfolk

This is the classic sparrow chirp, often heard at length (up to half an hour!) in the Spring from an unmated male at the nest site trying to attract a female; although most persistent at that time the chirp can be heard from either sex all year round though for much shorter periods. Observation seems to indicate that as well as the breeding period usage of attracting a mate this call is also used to keep the flock aware of where other individuals are. A lone sparrow arriving may start up a chirp which attracts other sparrows. There is another variant of this, which has a disyllabic chirr-up, giving rise to an old English name for the house sparrow, "Phyllip sparrow" where the "phyll-ip" is onomatopoeic It is the loudest vocalisation of this bird.

This 'chattering' sound is common where there are sparrows in proximity. Although it is hard to avoid an anthropomorphic association with angry scolding, observation shows this sound can also be uttered by an individual on discovering a new food source, and may therefore also simply draw attention. It is also used to warn of ground predators

Low level churrs. Though the house sparrow is a common bird not many people have heard this sound because it is emitted at a fairly low level. This was recorded about six inches from sparrows feeding at a confined location (squirrelproof mealworm feeder) and seemed to enable the sparrows to feed in a closer proximitiy to each other (< 1 inch) than even this social bird normally permits.

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[edit] External Links

• Discussion thread about the taxonomy of Italian Sparrow
• BTO House Sparrow Information sheet
• RSPB House Sparrow page
• Kate Vincent House sparrow decline PhD thesis Kate Vincent studied potential reasons for the decline between 2000 and 2005 part sponsored by the RSPB and English Nature.

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