American House Sparrow (1 Viewer)

[MikeInPA]

I don't know how House Sparrows originally arrived in America, whether they were deliberatly introduced or did the sparrows hitch a ride with the early settlers, who knows. I was thinking is there any difference today after a few centuries of separation from their European ancestors. I realize that sparrow immigration didn't just stop in the 1600's and that there's been enough transatlantic shipping since then for a few to stow away and reach land. How much of a difference that would make to refresh the House Sparrow gene pool I have no idea. Do they still look the same I wonder?

 

[Pinewood]

Hello Mike,

See this article. Apparently, they were introduced in Brooklyn, in 1851. At first they were often called English sparrows.
Stay safe,
Arthur

 

[Mysticete]

IIRC, their has been some local adaptation of House Sparrows in the US, with for instance sparrows in the southwest being somewhat paler than House Sparrows elsewhere in the US. But for the most part, they are pretty much the same as the birds originally introduced.

 

[01101001]

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From the Spring 2021 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now. Love them or hate them, there’s no doubt the European Starling is a wildly successful bird. They can be found on six of the world’s seven continents (all except Antarctica) in all types of environments. A newly published study ex

www.allaboutbirds.org

EDIT: https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...kQFnoECAoQAg&usg=AOvVaw1vE5OmNyJurCUB1Bzrdzn-

eBird Stories—Sarah Rackowski: Young ornithologist - eBird

Last year, we highlighted stories from birders around the world who use eBird, the Macaulay Library, and/or Merlin. It is wonderful to read about the variety of paths that people follow in birding.

ebird.org

 

[wolfbirder]

House Sparrows here in the UK are lovely little critters, but I've noticed some have white cheeks and most grey.

Not sure why this plumage difference occurs?