The House Sparrow has been in long-term decline in the UK and numbers declined sharply in 2006 but are now making a steady recovery. The sudden drop coincided with a large outbreak of trichomonosis in Greenfinches and Chaffinches. Trichomonosis might also have had an impact on House Sparrows.

The good news is that House Sparrows are approaching a six-year high in gardens in the UK.

House Sparrow

The House Sparrow - Passer domesticus - is found in most parts of the world. It occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions too many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird. They are strongly associated with human habitations, and can live in urban or rural settings.

Description

The male has a dark grey crown and chestnut brown on the sides of its head. It has black around its bill, on its throat, and on the spaces between its bill and eyes. It has a small white stripe between the lores and crown and small white spots immediately behind the eyes, with black patches below and above them. The underparts are pale grey or white, as are the cheeks, ear coverts and stripes at the base of the head. The upper back and mantle are a warm brown, with broad black streaks, while the lower back, rump and uppertail coverts are greyish-brown. The female has no black on head or throat, nor a grey crown, and its upperparts are streaked with brown. The juvenile is similar to the female but deeper brown, and the white is replaced by buff; its beak is pink to dull yellow.

Call

The contact call is a chirrup, tschilp, or Philip. The male also makes a "chur-chur-r-r-it-it-it-it" call as does the female during the breeding season. The alarm call is a basic sound, which is transcribed as quer, and it gives a shrill chree call in great distress.

Food

It eats a variety of different food, including seeds, nectar, fruit and invertebrates, using a wide range of foraging techniques.

Breeding

The timing of the House Sparrow's breeding season varies between locations and years and may depend on the availability of insects, needed for egg formation and feeding nestlings.It is monogamous with a life-long pair bond, usually nesting solitarily in southern Africa, even though it is colonial breeder in Europe. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a ball-shaped structure with an entrance on the side or on the top, usually made of grass, feathers, wool and other soft material. It is typically placed in a building, such as in a hole, under eaves or in a thatched roof, but it may also use an old palm tree or the nest of a swallow. The egg-laying season is year-round, peaking from September to December. Copulation is typically initiated by the female giving a soft dee-dee-dee call to the male. Pairs copulate frequently and the male mounts the female repeatedly. The female lays 1 to 6 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for between 11 to 14 days. The chicks are brooded and fed by both parents, leaving the nest after 14 to 22 days and becoming fully independent about two weeks later.

Conservation Status – Least Concern

The House Sparrow has an extremely large range and population, and is not seriously threatened by human activities. However, populations have been declining in certain parts of the world. In the UK populations peaked in the early 1970s, but have since declined by 68% overall.

Birdwatching

Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you or book on one of the following Aves Birding Tour/Safaris/Adventures see these Sparrows: -

Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure.

Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.

Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.