IDENTITY:
The house sparrow can be confused with a number of other seed-eating birds, especially its relatives in the genus Passer. Many of these relatives are smaller, with an appearance that is neater or "cuter", as with the Dead Sea sparrow. The dull-coloured female can often not be distinguished from other females, and is nearly identical to those of the Spanish and Italian sparrows.
It is a stocky bird with strong black bill and pinkish legs.
The adult male has dark chestnut upperparts with black streaks on back and scapulars. On the upperwing, we can see a conspicuous white wing bar. The flight feathers are brown and edged with darker brown. The tail is dark brown and the rump is greyish. The pale greyish underparts strongly contrast with black chin and bib.
On the head, the grey crown and the nape are bordered with reddish-chestnut from the rear eye, through ear-coverts, and finishing on neck sides. Cheeks are greyish-white. The eyes are dark brown dark with black lores.
In winter plumage, the male shows duller, less extended bib, and a duller plumage, less reddish. The bill is paler too.
The female has a rather brown plumage streaked with black on the upperparts, and greyish below. We will note the lack of black bib, and the presence of a buffy-white eyebrow. The bill is yellowish. The crown is brown.
Juvenile resembles female.
HABIT AND HABITED:
The house sparrow is closely associated with human habitation and cultivation. It is not an obligate commensal of humans as some have suggested: birds of the migratory Central Asian subspecies usually breed away from humans in open country, and birds elsewhere are occasionally found away from humans.
FOOD:
As an adult, the house sparrow mostly feeds on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is opportunistic and adaptable, and eats whatever foods are available. In towns and cities, it often scavenges for food in garbage containers and congregates in the outdoors of restaurants and other eating establishments to feed on leftover food and crumbs.
VOICE:
Call is a monotonus chirrup.
INFO:
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. A small bird, it has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the house sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.
The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. It feeds mostly on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is an opportunistic eater and commonly eats insects and many other foods. Its predators include domestic cats, hawks, owls, and many other predatory birds and mammals.
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