House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Habitat
Ground
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
27 g
About This Species
Look for small, stocky birds with thick conical bills foraging in noisy flocks along pavements, hedgerows, and cafe patios, the males sporting a grey crown and black bib against chestnut wings. They stay close to buildings year-round, roosting communally in dense shrubs or under eaves, and are most active and vocal at dawn and dusk around feeders stocked with seed.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- A short pause a few metres away is plenty to watch normal feeding behaviour without scattering the flock.
- Status varies sharply by region: native and covered by nest protections under the UK's Wildlife and Countryside Act, but introduced and unprotected across much of North America, so check local rules before assuming any legal safeguard applies.
- Avoid disturbing nests tucked into roof eaves or wall cavities during the spring and summer breeding season.
LCAvesPasseriformesPasseridae
Seasonal Activity
24,090,534 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passeridae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 27 g
Photo
(c) hedera.baltica, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.