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House Sparrow Passer domesticus   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Passeriformes Family: Passeridae
BTO Codes: HS , HOUSP EURING No: 15910
Number in Britain: 13.4 million birds (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: RED
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder
Subspecies: domesticus recorded in Britain (of 12 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 24 cm Weight: M/F: 34 g    
Scientific name from: L.: passer=a sparrow and L.: domesticus=domestic (from domus=house)
World Distribution: Europe, n Africa, Asia, INTRODUCED: Americas, s&e Africa, Australia
Habitat: Near man
Diet: Seeds, also shoots, berries, scraps, nestlings mostly insects, mostly on ground, but will hover
TitBit: The House Sparrow nests in close association with man, but a nest 600m down a coal mine shaft in Yorkshire was exceptional  
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Population and Distribution
Population Trend: Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 11.9 to 14.8 million birds in 1994-00
    First Record: 8th Century [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Robinson et al. (2005) Ibis 147:552-562
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Towns
    Also common in: Villages
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 53 to 110 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: None
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Garden BirdWatch
Winter Farmland Bird Survey
BTO Report for Defra
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Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 22 x 16 mm Egg Weight: 2.9 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 269
Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs 4.15 ± 0.84 (2 - 7) N = 2087
Incubation: 13 - 15 days 13.61 ± 2.43 (10 - 19) N = 2087 by the: Female
Fledging: 15 - 17 days 15.55 ± 2.00 (12 - 19) N = 2973 as: Altricial, naked
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 14 May (27 Mar - 11 Jul)
Number of Broods: 2-3(4)
Trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: 7175
Adult Survival: 0.571 Juvenile Survival: 0.489 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: Too few birds ringed
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Biometrics
Ring Size: B
Wing Length Adult: 77.1 ± 2.4 Range 73 - 81 mm, N =15876
Juvenile: 74.2 ± 2.6 70 - 78 mm, N =3221
Male: 78.2 ± 2.0 . - . mm, N =9110
Female: 75.5 ± 1.9 . - . mm, N =6692
Weight Adult: 27.33 ± 3.88 Range 24.20 - 30.70 g , N =13060
Juvenile: 26.64 ± 2.39 22.80 - 30.60 g , N =2491
Male: 27.41 ± 4.77 24.50 - 30.50 g , N =7482
Female: 27.23 ± 2.17 . 24.00 - 31.00 g , N =5513
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
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Other Names
Gaelic: Gealbhonn Welsh: Aderyn y Tô
Danish: Grĺspurv Dutch: Huismus
Finnish: Varpunen French: Moineau domestique
German: Haussperling Hungarian: Házi veréb
Icelandic: Gráspör Irish: Gealbhan Binne
Italian: Passera europea Norwegian: Grĺspurv
Polish: Wróbel zwyczajny Portuguese: Pardal-comum
Spanish: Gorrión doméstico Swedish: Grĺsparv
Local Names: Spug
Collective Noun: Host (or Tribe)
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For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Summers-Smith, J.D. 1963 The house sparrow Collins, London [598.972 SUM]
   Summers-Smith, J.D. 1994 Studies of West Palearctic birds: House Sparrow British Birds 87:593-603
   Case, T.R. 2006 Biology of the ubiqitous House Sparrow University Press, Oxford [598.972 CAS]
See Also:
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

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BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.2, Jan 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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