House Sparrow 196147 224963249 2008-07-11T05:42:20Z Rootology 525501 /* House Sparrows as an invasive species */ update to [[Image:One sparrow then another.ogg]] {{Taxobox | name = House Sparrow | status = LC | image = House Sparrow (M) I IMG 7881.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Male | image2=House sparrow I IMG 4529.jpg | image2_width=250px | image2_caption=Female <br>{{audio|Passer domesticus.ogg|Birdsong}} | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Passerine|Passeriformes]] | familia = [[Sparrow|Passeridae]] | genus = ''[[Passer]]'' | species = '''''P. domesticus''''' | binomial = ''Passer domesticus'' | binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758) }} The '''House Sparrow''' (''Passer domesticus'') is a member of the [[Old World]] [[sparrow]] family [[sparrow|Passeridae]], and is, somewhat controversially, considered a relative of the Weaver Finch Family. It occurs naturally in most of [[Europe]] and much of [[Asia]]. It has also followed humans all over the world and has been intentionally or accidentally introduced to most of the [[Americas]], [[sub-Saharan Africa]], [[New Zealand]] and [[Australia]] as well as urban areas in other parts of the world. It is now the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet.<ref>Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow: From Genes to Populations by Ted R. Anderson; Oxford University Press; 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/sparrowcontrol.htm "House Sparrow Control"] by [http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org The North American Bluebird Society]</ref> In the [[United States]] it is also colloquially known as the '''English Sparrow''' to distinguish it from [[American sparrow|native species]]. Wherever people build, House Sparrows sooner or later come to share their abodes. Though described as tame and semi-[[domestication|domestic]], neither is strictly true; humans provide food and home, not companionship. The House Sparrow remains [[Synanthrope|wary of man]]. == Description == [[Image:House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) at Dusk at Hodal I IMG 5850.jpg|thumb|left|Gathering at dusk.]] [[Image:Sparrow (1).JPG|thumb|left|Average House Sparrow]] [[Image:House sparrow (imm.) I IMG 6809.jpg|thumb|right| Juvenile]] [[Image:House Sparrows mating I IMG 0066.jpg‎|thumb|left| Mating]] [[Image:House sparrow I IMG 7054.jpg|thumb|right| Female feeding juvenile]] This 14 to 16 centimetre long bird is abundant in temperate climates, but not universally common; in many hilly districts it is scarce. In cities, towns and villages, even around isolated farms, it can be the most abundant bird. The male House Sparrow has a grey crown, cheeks and underparts, black on the throat, upper breast and between the bill and eyes. The bill in summer is blue-black, and the legs are brown. In winter the [[feather|plumage]] is dulled by pale edgings, and the bill is yellowish brown. The female has no black on head or throat, nor a grey crown; her upperparts are streaked with brown. The juveniles are deeper brown, and the white is replaced by buff; the beak is dull yellow. The House Sparrow is often confused with the smaller and slimmer [[Tree Sparrow]], which, however, has a chestnut and not grey crown, two distinct wing bars, and a black patch on each cheek. The House Sparrow is gregarious at all seasons in its [[bird nest|nest]]ing colonies, when feeding and in communal roosts. Although the Sparrows' young are fed on the [[larva]]e of [[insect]]s, often destructive species, this species eats [[seed]]s, including [[grain]] where it is available. In spring, [[flower]]s &mdash; especially those with yellow colours &mdash; are often eaten; [[crocus]]es, [[Primula vulgaris|primroses]] and [[aconite]]s seem to attract the house sparrow most. The bird will also hunt [[butterfly|butterflies]]. The Sparrow's most common call is a short and incessant chirp. It also has a double call note ''phillip'' which originated the now obsolete name of "phillip sparrow". While the young are in their nests, the older birds utter a long ''churr''. At least three broods are reared in the season. The common, but declining House Sparrow was the most common garden bird in 2006, calculated by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) ==Nesting== [[Image:Gorrión.passer.domesticus.chick.jpg|thumb|Chick]] The nesting site is varied; under eaves, in holes in masonry or rocks, in [[ivy]] or [[Parthenocissus|creepers]] on houses or banks, on the sea-cliffs, or in bushes in bays and inlets. When built in holes or ivy, the nest is an untidy litter of straw and rubbish, abundantly filled with feathers. Large, well-constructed domed nests are often built when the bird nests in trees or shrubs, especially in rural areas. The House Sparrow is quite aggressive in usurping the nesting sites of other birds, often forcibly evicting the previous occupants, and sometimes even building a new nest directly on top of another active nest with live nestlings. [[House Martin]]s, [[Bluebird]]s, and [[Sand Martin]]s are especially susceptible to this behavior. However, though this tendency has occasionally been observed in its native habitats (particularly concerning House Martins), it appears to be far more common in habitats in which it has been introduced, such as [[North America]]. Five to six [[egg (biology)|egg]]s, profusely dusted, speckled or blotched with black, brown or ash-grey on a blue-tinted or creamy white ground, are usual types of the very variable eggs. They are variable in size and shape as well as markings. Eggs are [[Avian incubation|incubated]] by the female. The House Sparrow has the shortest incubation period of all the birds: 10-12 days and a female can lay 25 eggs a summer in New England. ==House Sparrows in Europe== In large parts of Europe, populations of House Sparrows are decreasing. In the [[Netherlands]], the House Sparrow is even considered an [[endangered species]]{{Fact|date=January 2008}}, and the population of House Sparrows has dropped in half since the 1980s. It is however still the second most common breeding bird in the Netherlands, after the [[Blackbird]]. Currently the number of breeding pairs is estimated between half a million and one million. Similar precipitous drops in population have also been recorded in the [[United Kingdom]]. Various causes for its dramatic decrease in population have been proposed, one of the more surprising being the introduction of unleaded petrol, the combustion of which produces compounds such as [[methyl nitrite]] <ref>''British Birds'', vol 100, September 2007, p558</ref>, a compound highly toxic for small insects, which form major part of young sparrows diet. <ref>[http://gnosis9.net/view.php?cisloclanku=2004030007 Gnosis9.net: Vrabec vymírá<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Other theories consider reducing areas of free growing weeds, or reducing numbers of badly maintained buildings, which are important nesting opportunities for sparrows. <ref>[http://www.scienceworld.cz/sw.nsf/ID/C263603E067FE924C1256E970048FA99/ Science World - Proè ubývá vrabcù?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==House Sparrows as an invasive species== [[Image:One sparrow then another.ogg|right|300px|Two house sparrows]] ===House Sparrows in Australia=== House sparrows were introduced to [[Australia]] between 1863 and 1870. They were released first in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and then to other areas including [[Sydney]], [[Brisbane]], and [[Hobart]]. They quickly became a major pest throughout eastern Australia, but have been prevented from establishing themselves in [[Western Australia]] where every found specimen is deliberately destroyed.<ref>[http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/house_sparrow.htm "House Sparrow Fact Sheet"] at [http://www.austmus.gov.au/ australian museum online]</ref> ===House Sparrows in North America=== The large North American population is descended from birds deliberately imported from [[United Kingdom|Britain]] in the late 19th century. They were introduced independently in a number of American cities in the years between 1850 and 1875 as a means of [[pest control]]. The mistake was realized after they were well established and by 1883 they were already considered pests and their introduction a disaster.<ref>[http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm#managementchoices "House Sparrow History" by E.A. Zimmerman] posted at [http://www.sialis.org Sialis]</ref> While declining somewhat in their adopted homeland, House Sparrows are one of the most abundant birds in [[North America]], with a population estimated at approximately 150 million.<ref>[http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/HOUSPA/ "House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)"] by the [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ Cornell Lab of Ornithology] of [http://www.cornell.edu Cornell University]</ref> [[Image:Passer.jpg|thumb|Sparrows feeding]] In the [[United States]]<ref>[http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/prob.html "Backyard Bird Problems: Problem Birds"] by [http://www.fws.gov The United States Fish and Wildlife Service]</ref> and [[Canada]], the House Sparrow is one of only three birds (the other two being the [[European Starling]] and the [[Rock Pigeon]]) not protected by law. As an [[invasive species|invasive non-indigenous species]], it is legal to kill House Sparrows and destroy their eggs at any time in most places in the United States. These three introduced species are now each more widespread and common on the continent than are any other birds. House Sparrows kill adult [[bluebird]]s and other native cavity nesters and their young, smash their eggs, and take over their nesting sites,<ref>[http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/JFO/v055n03/p0378-p0380.pdf "House Sparrows Kill Eastern Bluebirds"] by Patricia Adair Gowaty in [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/JFO/index.php Journal of Field Ornithology], Volume 55, Number 3, Summer, 1984, pp. 378-380.</ref> and as such are major factors in the decline of bluebirds and other native cavity nesters in North America.<ref>[http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/monitoring.htm "Monitoring Bluebird Nest Boxes"] by [http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org The North American Bluebird Society]</ref> Because the House Sparrow is smaller than the less aggressive native birds with which it competes, it is impossible to keep them out of nest boxes built for many native birds. Attempts to counter the effects of the House Sparrow on native bird populations include the trapping and shooting of adults and the destruction of their nests and eggs. <sub>Subscript text</sub> ==Gallery== ===Male House Sparrows=== <gallery> Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Male peeping in a tree hole in Kolkata I IMG 0903.jpg| Male peeping in a tree hole. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Male in Kolkata I IMG 1844.jpg| Male. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Male in Kolkata I IMG 5904.jpg| Male. image:House sparrowII.jpg|Male Image:House Sparrow I Picture 074.jpg| Male quenching its thirst. Image:House Sparrow-Mindaugas Urbonas-7.jpg|A male singing Image:Passer domesticus aka House Sparrow in Sweden (male).jpg|Male Image:Male House Sparrow Bathing.jpg|Male bathing </gallery> ===Female and Juvenile House Sparrows=== <gallery> Image:Sparrows crabapple tree unsharpnd.jpg|Female defending territory (food source Crabapple tree) Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Female in Kolkata I IMG 5909.jpg| Female. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Female in a tree hole in Kolkata I IMG 0904.jpg| Female in a tree hole. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Female feeding juvenile in Kolkata I IMG 8099.jpg| Female feeding juvenile. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Female bathing in Kolkata I IMG 4139.jpg| Female bathing. Image:House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Female in Kolkata I IMG 3787.jpg| Female. Image:House sparrow IMG 5405.jpg|Female carrying food for juveniles. Image:House Sparrow- Encounter I IMG 8110.jpg| Juvenile's encounter with a chipmunk. Image:House sparrow02.jpg|Juvenile Image:House Sparrow.jpg|Female Image:House Sparrow-Mindaugas Urbonas-4.jpg|Female Image:House Sparrow-Mindaugas Urbonas-5.jpg|Female </gallery> ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==References== *{{IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=53069|title=Passer domesticus|downloaded=12 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern *{{ITIS|ID=179628|taxon=Passer domesticus|year=2006|date=9 February}} ==External links== {{Commons|Passer domesticus}} {{Wikispecies|Passer domesticus}} *ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/birds/Passer_domesticus/ images and movies of the house sparrow] *RSPB - [http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/h/housesparrow/index.asp Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) webpage about the house sparrow] *[http://www.sparrowsneedhedges.com/ Sparrows need hedges] helping the house sparrow in the UK *[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=8427 House Sparrow videos] on the Internet Bird Collection] *[http://sdakotabirds.com/species/house_sparrow_info.htm South Dakota Birds - House Sparrow Information and Photos] * [http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-1543:1 ''English sparrow control''] hosted by the [http://digital.library.unt.edu/browse/department/govdocs/ UNT Government Documents Department] * [http://www.sparrowtraps.net/customer_pics_graphic.htm ''House Sparrow Attack on Titmouse Nest''] *[http://www.ibercajalav.net/img/419_HouseSparrowP._domesticus.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta] [[Category:Passeridae]] [[Category:Invasive animal species]] [[Category:Cosmopolitan species]] [[Category:Birds of Europe]] [[Category:Birds of the Faroe Islands]] [[Category:Birds of New Zealand]] [[Category:Birds of Turkey]] [[Category:Birds of Gibraltar]] {{Link FA|de}} {{Link FA|sv}} [[ar:عصفور دوري]] [[ast:Gurrión]] [[ba:Турғай]] [[bs:Domaći vrabac]] [[br:Golvan]] [[bg:Домашно врабче]] [[ca:Pardal]] [[cs:Vrabec domácí]] [[cy:Aderyn y To]] [[da:Gråspurv]] [[de:Haussperling]] [[et:Koduvarblane]] [[es:Passer domesticus]] [[eo:Dompasero]] [[fr:Moineau domestique]] [[fy:Mosk]] [[gl:Gorrión]] [[hi:घरेलू गौरैया]] [[hr:Obični vrabac]] [[io:Pasero]] [[is:Gráspör]] [[it:Passer domesticus]] [[he:דרור הבית]] [[la:Passer domesticus]] [[lv:Mājas zvirbulis]] [[lt:Žvirblis]] [[hu:Házi veréb]] [[ml:അങ്ങാടിക്കുരുവി]] [[nl:Huismus]] [[ja:イエスズメ]] [[no:Gråspurv]] [[nn:Gråsporv]] [[nds:Lüün]] [[pl:Wróbel domowy]] [[pt:Pardal]] [[ru:Домовый воробей]] [[simple:House Sparrow]] [[sr:Домаћи врабац]] [[fi:Varpunen]] [[sv:Gråsparv]] [[tr:Bayağı serçe]] [[uk:Хатній горобець]] [[wa:Moxhon d' toet]] [[zh:家麻雀]]