Sparrows    

Sparrows will visit your yard if you have Bird seed feeders, water and some shrubbery for them to hide in.

There are many varieties of Sparrows.  Most people in North America are familiar with House Sparrows or Song Sparrows.  House sparrows were imported from England in the 1850s.  Many people dislike them because they can take over nesting sites other song birds might use.  

 Identification and Pictures

House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus)

House sparrows are around 5 3/4 to 6 3/4 inches.  Males have a black throat and white cheeks.  The nape is a chestnut or brown color.

 Females and the young do not have the black throat and they are a grayish color below.

House Sparrows are often seen in large flocks, which will roost in evergreens or other bushes.  The flocks will often include finches, especially in autumn or winter.  

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Song Sparrows are 5 to 7 inches.  They have a light brown head with a white streak that runs from the beak over the top of the eye to the back of the head.  The adults have a streaked breast with a black spot in the center.

Young birds have finer steaks and may not have the spot.  There are many subspecies with variations from one area to another.

Photo by Keith Lee.  The camera I use is the Canon EOS 40D.

White Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

A white stripe from the bill to the back of the head, and another over the eye identifies this sparrow.  The crown has a puffy look to it.  Their breast is gray.  In younger birds the head stripe is more of a brown color.  Size is about 5 1/2 to 7 inches.

There are 5 subspecies with variations from one area to another and telling them apart can be difficult.  

Range and Habitat

House Sparrows range across North America and can be found in cities, farmlands or in the country.  They live mostly where we humans live. It is estimated that the population is around 150,000,000 birds.  The numbers get lower each year.

Song Sparrows also range across North America.  They like marshes, thickets, shrubs around field edges and backyards.

White Crowned Sparrows range through Alaska, Canada and Western U.S. They spend the winter in West or South U.S. Mexico and Cuba.  They can be found in towns, the country and along roadsides.  Their preferred habitat is low brush and thickets.

Breeding and Nesting

House Sparrow males will sit on a perch outside the nesting site singing their nest-site call trying to attract the female.  If she comes near he will quiver his wings and call louder.  He will them go in and out of the nest cavity.  If she goes in they will probably pair off.  Generally they build cup-shaped nests in trees, bushes, under eves and in other places. Because they tend to take over houses meant for other birds some people resort to trapping them in an attempt to get rid of them.  Unlike most birds in the U.S. Sparrows are not protected by law.  They may have 2 to 3 broods in season.  They nest in colonies, but both sexes will choose and defend a small territory.  Females lay 5 to 6 speckled or spotted eggs. The spots can be brown, purple or black.  Their eggs are whitish but can be tinged greenish or blue-gray. 

Song Sparrows build their nest on the ground or in a bush.  They will have 3 to 5 greenish white eggs with dark marks. The female will incubating the eggs.  Both parents will feed the young a diet of mostly insects.

White Crowned Sparrows will lay 3 to 5 bluish green pale eggs in a cup like nest on or near the ground.

Song and Call

The chir-up and twittering song of the House Sparrow can be heard all year long.  Both sexes will sing.

Song Sparrows sing a series of notes that vary from musical to a buzzy sound.  Males may have up to 10 different songs and repeat one several times before switching to another.

House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White Crowned Sparrow

Food and Feeding

Sparrows are frequent visitors to backyard feeders. There often be more birds then there is room for, but they are happy to scratch the ground for seeds falling from the feeders.  White crowned sparrows are more likely to feed on the ground.

Like most birds that come to feeders they are also attracted to water.  As shown here, even a dog water dish can be popular. 

Natural foods for Sparrows are insects, seeds and berries.

For more on food and feeding click here.
For more on feeders click here.

Photo by Keith Lee.  The camera I use is the Canon EOS 40D.

To learn about other favorite birds click here.