House sparrow

A small introduced bird closely associated with people and buildings.

Field guide

A small introduced bird closely associated with people and buildings.

Identification

Male has a gray crown and black bib; female is brown and streaked with a plain face.

The adult male has a gray crown, chestnut nape, white cheeks and black bib. Outside breeding season, pale feather edges can partly hide the bib.

The female is warm brown with a buff eyebrow, streaked back and plain grayish underside, without the male's black bib; juveniles resemble her.

Habitat

Farms, towns, hedges and buildings with nearby seed or food scraps.

Where to look during the day

At dawn, listen around hedges and building eaves as flocks leave roosts.

In the afternoon, watch farmyards, feeders and weedy patches.

At dusk, groups chatter in dense shrubs before roosting.

Sounds

Simple, repeated chirps and cheeps, often in a noisy chorus.

House sparrow

Field recording of a house sparrow. A narrower call type or the caller's sex is not assigned to this clip.

Alexander Kurthy · Recording source

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits