House Sparrow
The house sparrow is a gregarious bird, happy to live in colonies close to human habitation.
Sadly, this opportunistic and adaptable little bird is now struggling to survive in the UK and has vanished from city centres and some other parts of Britain. More than 60% of the species has disappeared since the 1970s when it was an extremely common garden bird with a population of around 12 million. This rapid decline has meant the species is now on the Red List.
Facts
Appearance: The male is a mid-brown colour with black streaks and a black strip around the eyes and chin. Their beak is yellowy-brown in winter and black in summer. The female is paler and doesn’t have the black bib but rather, has a pale yellow stripe behind her eye.
Size: 14-15cm, with a wingspan of 21-25cm
Weight: 24-32g
Lifespan: Around 7 years. More often 1-2 years in the wild
Diet: Seeds, nuts, berries and scraps – in fact they eat just about anything!
Family: Passeridae
Did you know?
- During the spring, house sparrows often damage plants with yellow flowers, although no-one knows why.
- The house sparrows’ main predators are domestic cats, owls and sparrow hawks.
contact us
print page
Bookmark with: