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  • House sparrow

House sparrow

House sparrow (adult male)
House sparrow (adult male)
House sparrow (juvenile)
House sparrow (juvenile)
House sparrow (adult female)
House sparrow (adult female)
  • Scientific name: Passer domesticus
  • Bird family: Old World sparrows
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Audio

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Jarek Matusiak, Xeno-canto

Key information

Noisy and gregarious, these cheerful exploiters of man's rubbish and wastefulness have managed to colonise most of the world. The ultimate avian opportunist perhaps. Monitoring suggests a severe decline in the UK house sparrow population, recently estimated as dropping by 71 per cent between 1977 and 2008 with substantial declines in both rural and urban populations. While the decline in England continues, Breeding Bird Survey data indicate recent population increases in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What they eat:

Seeds and scraps.

Measurements:

Length:
14-15cm
Wingspan:
21-25.5cm
Weight:
24-38g

Population:

UK breeding:
5,300,000 pairs

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

House sparrow (adult male)

House sparrow adult male
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Brown Short Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Urban and suburban

House sparrow (adult female)

House sparrow adult female
Feather colour: Brown Cream/buff Grey
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Brown Short Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Urban and suburban

Similar birds:

  • Tree sparrow
    Tree sparrow
  • Dunnock
    Dunnock

Where and when to see them

House sparrows can be found from the centre of cities to the farmland of the countryside, they feed and breed near to people. It is a species vanishing from the centre of many cities, but is not uncommon in most towns and villages. It is absent from parts of the Scottish Highlands and is thinly distributed in most upland areas.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
House sparrow distribution map

You can see house sparrows all year-round.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Darts Farm
  • RSPB South Essex Wildlife Garden

Video

Female house sparrow video

See footage of a female house sparrow.

See footage of a female house sparrow.

Play video
Female house sparrow video screenshot

Big Garden Birdwatch

House sparrow male, perched on edge of garden shed roof

Find out if the house sparrow stayed in the top spot, or whether the starling surged to victory...

Find out more

In more depth

Breeding

Breeding

Population trends

Population trends

Relations with humans and other animals

Relations with humans and other animals

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