Sparrow

The sparrow bird that can be found in every part of the world. It is a small bird with conical bills. The sparrow (Passer domestics) is the member of  Passeridae family. They have length of about 11.4cm to 18cm and weight of about 13.4g to 42g.

House sparrow is mostly found in Europe and North America. The most common sparrows include Eurasian house sparrow and Tree sparrow.

Female sparrows and young birds are grey and brown in colour. While, male sparrows are covered with brown and white markings. These birds can be found in urban and rural settings. They feed on seeds as well as insects. The conservation status of these birds is least concern even though there are many predators of sparrows including hawks and cats.

Sparrow As A Pet:

Sparrows like finches are social birds and they need some time to get along with you. They can also become aggressive many times.

Following are some ways to keep a sparrow as a pet,

1. The bird’s cage should be large so that the bird can exhibit flying, jumping and climbing.
2. Provide some toys to your bird for some entertainment.
3. Make sure to get your bird out of the cage at least once a day.
4. Make sure to keep the cage clean.
5. Make sure to interact with your bird as much as you can.
6. Sudden protective measures should be taken when you notice signs of stress and anxiety in your bird.

Sparrow And Finch:

What mostly differentiates sparrows from finches is their coloration. Sparrows have relatively darker coloration as compared to Finches. Some of the distinctive features of sparrows and finches are,

• Male sparrows have white cheeks, grey heads and black bib. While, male finches have red faces and breasts.
• Beak is an important feature that distinguishes between sparrow and finch. Sparrows have conical, bills that are either black or yellow in color, smaller than finches. While, finches have thick and large beaks having grey color.
• Finches have brown markings on their bellies and flanks. Sparrows lack this feature.

By checking the location of bird, we can also identify whether it is a finch or sparrow.

Sparrow Bird Information:

Some important information about sparrows is as follows,

1. Sparrow bird is the most common bird and can be found in every part of the world.
2. They feed on Insects and seeds.
3. There are almost 1.6 billion sparrows in the world.
4. There are 140 different species of sparrows.
5. They are small sized having round heads.
6. They have wingspan of about 8.3 inches.
7. They live in woodland and countryside.
8. They have incubation period of about 10 to 14 days.
9. Predators of sparrows include snakes, hawks and cats.
10. Sparrows are omnivores and have flock lifestyle.
11. Their nesting locations include buildings.
12. The top speed exhibited by sparrow is 25mph.
13. Sparrows exhibit extra bone in their tongues which make their tongues still. This enables sparrows to hold seeds.
14. Average lifespan of sparrow is 4 to 7 years.

Sparrow Bird Eggs:

Sparrows are social birds. They live in large groups. One group or flock includes 10,000 of sparrows.  After forming nests in their nesting sites including buildings, female lays 4 to 5 eggs. The size of eggs is about 1.4cm to 1.6cm. The eggs are greenish white or bluish white in color and have brown or gray spots. After 10 to 14 days of incubation period, the eggs hatch. After hatching, both the parents take care of their babies and feed them. After about 2 weeks, the young ones leave the nest.

Sparrow Bird Food:

Sparrows are omnivores. They eat seeds including milo, millet and sunflower seeds as well as insects. They can also eat crops like corn, wheat and oats. Some wild foods include crabgrass and buckwheat. Sparrows are also known as opportunistic feeders.

Sparrow Bird Behavior:

Sparrows are social birds. They often form flocks with other birds. Roosting and formation of nests are done in groupings. They exhibit dust bathing by scratching a hole in the ground, sit on it and then bath with the dust by flinging dust on their body. They also bath in puddles. They exhibit social singing to call each other.

Sparrows roost in shrubs and trees. They make some chirping sounds before and after settling in the roost. These birds can perform specific tasks for obtaining food including doors opening for entering into supermarkets and watching passersby’s by clinging to hotel walls.

Sparrows mostly hop. They can also swim to escape from predators. They also exhibit migration but within limited distances. They undergo some hormonal changes with the arrival of breeding season including increase in the size of sex organs and calling for mating by males. While mating, males show some courtship rituals like dancing by moving his wings frequently.

Sparrow Eggs Colour:

Nesting sites of sparrows include buildings where female lays 4 to 5 eggs. Their size is almost 1.4cm to 1.6cm. These eggs are bluish white or greenish while coloured having gray or brown spots on them.

Sparrow Bird Aggressive:

Sparrows can be extremely aggressive. The reason behind this is nest competition. They can attack native birds and their eggs. Following are some tips to control sparrows and save the lives of native birds,

• You should move the box having native birds away from infected area infected by the sparrow.
• You can also remove sparrow along with its eggs.
• The most effective way is to keep a sparrow resistant nest box.

Sparrow Bird Beak:

Sparrows have long, sharp and cone shaped beak. This sharp beak enables them to crush seeds and grab insects. Beak also known as bill is generally external portion of mouth.

Sparrow Bird Characteristics:

Some characteristics of sparrow are,

1. Sparrow is a member of Passeridae family. It belongs to Passerine birds which are also called as Old world sparrows or True sparrows.
2. Male and female sparrows are distinguished by their colour pattern. Males have black bibs and red backs. While, females have brown backs.
3. They are social and live in flocks.
4. They are omnivores. They can feed on seeds, insects, berries and other fruits.
5. The flying speed is generally 24mph that can be increased to 31mph in case of emergency.
6. They exhibit swimming to escape from predators.
7. Predators include hawks and cats.
8. They are severely protective about their nests. They often become extremely aggressive in nesting competitions.
9. They form their nests under bridges, roofs and tree hollows.
10. They are monogamous.
11. They exhibit a small sized body with a rounded head and a conical shaped beak.
12. They live for about 4 to 5 years.

Sparrow Bird Favorite Food:

Sparrows are generally omnivorous. The favorite food of sparrows includes seeds like milo, sunflower seeds and millet. They can also eat insects and some crops.

Sparrow Bird Habitat:

There are many species of sparrows. The Old world species of sparrows are found in Asia, Africa and Europe. The New world sparrows are found in America.

These birds live in fields, woodlands, scrublands, grasslands and deserts. Because of their ability to adapt to human settlement, they can be seen in cities in huge amounts. They cannot be found in forests.

Sparrow Bird Lifespan:

The average lifespan of a sparrow is 4 to 7 years.

Conclusion

Sparrows are the most common bird that can be found in all the parts of the world. It is well known for its unique conical shaped beak for crushing seeds and grabbing insects. It is a social bird having an aggressively protective nature towards their nests and eggs.