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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
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder
Subspecies:
domesticus recorded in Britain (of 12 subsp. in the world)
.
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
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
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
Conservation Status:
RED
because
Recent Breeding Population Decline,
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
RED
1996-2001
GREEN
Races of Concern:
domesticus RED (Recent Decline)
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
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
None
Survey Results:
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 (9.5 - 18.5) N = 2087
by the:
Female
Fledging:
15 - 17days
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
± 0.009
Juvenile Survival:
0.489 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
3
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
12yr 0m
(Denmark: 19yr 9m)
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
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)
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:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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