House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Summary 7
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. A small bird, it has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a weight of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the house sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean region,...
Summary 8
"A small bird, generally associated with human habitation. Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings."
Distribution 9
The House Sparrow is distributed worldwide (excluding the Poles). It is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It was introduced into S. Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and America. Its introduction into North America occured in 1851, when a group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Native ); ethiopian (Native ); neotropical (Introduced ); australian (Introduced )
Morphology 10
The House Sparrow is a stout, stocky sparrow, with shorter legs and a thicker bill than indigenous American sparrows. Members of both sexes are brown backed with black streaks throughout this area. Its underside is pale buff. Males have white cheeks and a black bib, while females do not. The tail is usually three-quarters the length of the wing. Wing length is 76 mm and average mass is 28.5 grams.
Average mass: 28.5 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male more colorful
Average mass: 25.3 g.
Habitat 11
House Sparrows like areas that have been modified by humans, including farms, residential, and urban areas. They are absent from uninhabited woodlands, deserts, forests, and grasslands.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Migration 12
Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Lip Kee Yap, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/64565252@N00/440570894
- (c) Lip Kee Yap, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Passer_domesticus_male_%281%29.jpg/460px-Passer_domesticus_male_%281%29.jpg
- (c) Jar0d, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Passer_domesticus_-Germany-8.jpg
- (c) John Haslam from Dornoch, Scotland, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Passer_domesticus_-male_with_fresh_feathers.jpg
- (c) Pranav Yaddanapudi from Hyderabad, India, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Indian_Sparrow_%284%29.jpg
- (c) davidgsteadman, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Sparrow_in_flight.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_domesticus
- (c) India Biodiversity Portal, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/26327226
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413442
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413444
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31413443
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28830461
