House Sparrow

(Passer domesticus)

Conservation Status
House Sparrow
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

NNA - No Status Rank

SNA - No Status Rank

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Size

 
 

6 to 6¾ in length

9½ wingspan

 
     
 

Voice

 
   
   
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Urban and suburban areas, agricultural areas, railroad yards, other developed areas

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Migration

 
 

 

 
     
 

Nesting

 
 

 

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Occurrence

 
 

Abundant year-round resident

 
         
 

Maps

 
 

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Aves (birds)  
 

Order

Passeriformes (perching birds)  
 

Family

Passeridae (Old World sparrows)  
 

Genus

Bombycilla (waxwings)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

domesticus Group

Eastern Mediterranean House Sparrow (Passer domesticus biblicus)

Egyptian House Sparrow (Passer domesticus niloticus)

European House Sparrow (Passer domesticus domesticus)

Northwest African House Sparrow (Passer domesticus tingitanus)

Persian House Sparrow (Passer domesticus persicus)

Western Mediterranean House Sparrow (Passer domesticus balearoibericus)

 

indicus Group

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus hyrcanus)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus hufufae)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus rufidorsalis)

Indian House Sparrow (Passer domesticus indicus)

Kashmir House Sparrow (Passer domesticus parkini)

Turkestan House Sparrow (Passer domesticus bactrianus)

 
       
 

There are twelve subspecies of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) currently recognized. In 1852, House Sparrows from England, Passer domesticus domesticus, were released in New York City. This was only the first of many introductions. Since then the species has evolved to adapt to its new environment. North American populations have been differentiated by size, wing length, and paleness. One author describes a pale form in northwestern states P. d. plecticus. Other than that, house sparrows in North America are not differentiated by named subspecies.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this bird.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Bill Reynolds

 
 

2019 House Sparrow, Pennington County MN

 
    House Sparrow   House Sparrow  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
    House Sparrow      

 

Camera

 

     
 
Slideshows
 
  House Sparrow
Allen Chartier
 
  House Sparrow  
  House Sparrow
JMC Nature Photos
 
  House Sparrow  
 
About

This invasive finch is known well throughout the New World, as it now a widespread resident of communities, cities, and farmlands.

The species is known for its tendencies of pushing native nesters out, such as bluebirds, Purple Martins, and Tree Swallows.

 
  House Sparrows
crossarthur76
 
  House Sparrows  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this bird.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

Avi Birds

 
  House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus)
Aug 13, 2020
 
   
 
About

In this video, we take a look at the House Sparrow, also known as the Passer domesticus.

   
       
 
Other Videos
 
  House Sparrow - HD Mini-Documentary
James KnottJames Knott
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Mar 23, 2009

http://quickdirt.com is my new mountain biking website. Check it out for more great adventures!

Transcript: "The House Sparrow is considered to be the most widely distributed bird on the planet. It is native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. It was also introduced to the Americas, New Zealand and Australia.

In North America it was introduced to several U.S. cities in the 1800s as a way to control pests and then quickly spread across the continent. This move was considered to be a mistake because the House Sparrow is an aggressive bird that will take over the nests of native species such as House Martins and Bluebirds.

These house sparrows have taken over abandoned cliff swallow nests.

The House Sparrow prefers human-affected areas such as urban, suburban and farm environments. It is rarely found in wilderness areas such as woods, grasslands or desert.

These sparrows prefer to eat seeds and grain, but will also feast on flowers and insects.

The House Sparrow is one of only three birds in the U.S. that is not protected by law from hunting. The other two are the Rock Pigeon and European Starling."

   
  House Sparrow Singing
PontyCyclops
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 19, 2012

My second go at filming with the Sony A77 ... only monopod held, so sorry for the wobble again. I'll try some with the tripod soon.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this bird.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Bill Reynolds
2019

Location: Pennington County MN

House Sparrow  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created:

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us