House Sparrow

Lore & Background

The house sparrow was among the first animals to be given a scientific name in the modern system of biological classification, described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Fringilla domestica, from a type specimen collected in Sweden. Later, the genus name Fringilla came to be used only for the common chaffinch and its relatives, and the house sparrow has usually been placed in the genus Passer, created by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The bird's scientific name and its usual English name have the same meaning: the Latin word passer, like the English word 'sparrow,' is a term for small active birds, coming from a root word referring to speed, and the Latin word domesticus means 'belonging to the house.' The house sparrow is also called by a number of alternative English names, including English sparrow, chiefly in North America; and Indian sparrow or Indian house sparrow, for the birds of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Dialectal names include sparr, sparrer, spadger, spadgick, and philip, mainly in southern England; spug and spuggy, mainly in northern England; spur and sprig, mainly in Scotland; and spatzie or spotsie, from the German Spatz, in North America.

In Their Own Story

The male house sparrow has a dark grey crown from the top of its bill to its back, and chestnut brown flanking its crown on the sides of its head. It has black around its bill, on its throat, and on the spaces between its bill and eyes (lores). It has a small white stripe between the lores and crown and small white spots immediately behind the eyes (postoculars), with black patches below and above them. The underparts are pale grey or white, as are the cheeks, ear coverts, and stripes at the base of the head. The upper back and mantle are a warm brown, with broad black streaks, while the lower back, rump and upper tail coverts are greyish brown. The male is duller in fresh nonbreeding plumage, with whitish tips on many feathers. Wear and preening expose many of the bright brown and black markings, including most of the black throat and chest patch, called the 'bib' or 'badge.' The badge is variable in width and general size, and may signal social status or fitness. This hypothesis has led to a 'veritable "cottage industry"' of studies, which have only conclusively shown that patches increase in size with age. The male's bill is dark grey, but black in the breeding season.

Reader's Guide

For sustenance, the house sparrow routinely feeds at home and public bird feeding stations, but naturally feeds on the seeds of grains, flowering plants and weeds. However, it is an opportunistic, omnivorous eater, and commonly catches invertebrates such as insects and their larvae, caterpillars, and many other natural foods. Most house sparrow vocalisations are variations on its short and frequent chirping call. Transcribed as chirrup, tschilp, or philip, this note is made as a contact call by flocking or resting birds; or by males to proclaim nest ownership and invite pairing. In the breeding season, the male gives this call repetitively, with emphasis and speed, but not much rhythm, forming what is described either as a song or an 'ecstatic call' similar to a song. Young birds also give a true song, especially in captivity, a warbling similar to that of the European greenfinch. Aggressive males give a trilled version of their call, transcribed as 'chur-chur-r-r-it-it-it-it.' This call is also used by females in the breeding season, to establish dominance over males while displacing them to feed young or incubate eggs. House sparrows give a nasal alarm call, the basic sound of which is transcribed as quer, and a shrill chree call in great distress. Another vocalisation is the 'appeasement call,' a soft quee given to inhibit aggression, usually given between birds of a mated pair.

Did You Know?

• The house sparrow is one of 28 species in the genus Passer.
• Its typical length is 16 cm (6.3 in) and its mass ranges from 24 to 39.5 g (0.85 to 1.39 oz).
• The male's black throat and chest patch is called the 'bib' or 'badge,' and its size increases with age.
• The house sparrow was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Fringilla domestica.
• Alternative English names include English sparrow (North America) and Indian sparrow (Indian subcontinent and Central Asia).