The Weaver Family
(Ploceidae)

Order: Passerines
Perching Birds

The House Sparrow
Passer domesticus

The tiny House Sparrow is very familiar.

It is a little brown bird, with a short, pointed black beak.

The male and female look very different. The adult male has a grey crown. He also has a black patch under his chin. He has pale cheeks and white bars on his wings.

The female Sparrow (known as a hen) is pale brown, with a streaked back and pale underparts.

Habitat

Often nests near to humans - in gardens and parks in towns, cities and farmland. Also found in woodland and hedgerows.

House Sparrows are seedeaters, but will take many types of food made available by humans. For example, in the summer, many town-dwelling Sparrows will fly to fields to eat freshly grown grain.

The nest is built out of straw and feathers in a hole, found in a building, or amongst Ivy.

Sometimes it is built in a tree or hedge, out of twigs and moss.

The House Sparrow sometimes uses another bird's abandoned nest.

The House Sparrow is a resident in Britain all year long.

The House Sparrow often makes a loud "chirp" sound.

15 cm.

Fun Fact

People sometimes mistake House Sparrows for Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) .

Tree Sparrow

These two birds do look very similar, but male House Sparrows have a grey crown. Also, House Sparrows are usually a bit more scruffy and bedraggled-looking than the Tree Sparrow.