Birds Around Us: House Sparrow
- Symrna Darkmorph
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 18
The house sparrow, scientifically named as Passer domesticus, is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a commonly seen around urban human developments.
Where did house sparrows come from?
House Sparrows originally came from Europe, the area around the Mediterranean Sea, and parts of Asia. Over time, people, either on purpose or by mistake brought it to many other places, like parts of Australia, Africa, and North and South America. Due to this, it's now found in more places around the world than any other wild bird. It inhabits every continent, except Antarctica, China and Japan.
According to the WWF-India's Blog, The house sparrow is native to Eurasia and North Africa, and was introduced to South Africa, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, India and Central Asia.
However the Birdlife Distribution Map from 2019 claims that the house Sparrow is Native to India.
Is the house sparrow endangered?
While the IUCN Red list of Species classifies the House Sparrow as Least Concern, many common people have reported seeing less of this beautiful bird as compared to their childhood. World Sparrow Day is been celebrated on 20 March across the world since
2010 to bring attention to the condition of the House Sparrow and to appeal for its conservation. The house sparrow has been named Delhi's State Bird as well.
Are House Sparrows declining in India?
While they are vanishing from many big cities, but are still not uncommon in small towns and villages. India has seen a massive decline of sparrows in recent years.
Conservationists say that the decline in the population of house sparrows to the unfriendly architecture of our homes, modern articheture does now allow for spaces where the House Sparrows can make nests. Another reason is chemical fertilisers in our crops, noise pollution that disturbs acoustic ecology and noxious exhaust fumes from vehicles. The debate about whether the digital revolution has jammed the air passages and affected House Sparrows is inconclusive, meaning there is no clear answer to that.
Who preys on the House Sparrow?
The House Sparrow's main predators are cats. Many other animals prey on them, including corvids, squirrels and even humans. Accipiters and the Merlin are also major predators, though cats have a greater impact on House Sparrow populations. House Sparrows are also commonly killed on roads.
Where can we find House Sparrows In India?
In India, six main species of sparrows are commonly found. These include the
House Sparrow
Sind Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
Russet Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
The house sparrow is distributed across India, including the Assam Valley and lower parts of the Assam hills, with a recorded presence up to 1200m in Sikkim and 1000m in the hills of Peninsular India. In the eastern Himalayas, the Eurasian tree sparrow replaces it as the dominant sparrow species.
What does House Sparrow Eat?
An adult house sparrow eats grains and seeds but in urban spaces it can be opportunistic and often eat bread which may not be the healthiest of choices. Young hatchings only eat soft-bodies instects upto 15 days.
Want to know more about common urban birds? Check out: Birds Around Us
References
https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/threatened_species/house_sparrow/
https://pib.gov.in/newsite/erelcontent.aspx?relid=48772 RTS/VN (Release ID :48772)
Choudhary, Shikha & Chauhan, Netrapal & Kalsi, Rajiv. (2019). Seasonal habitat selection by house sparrows across the urbanization matrix in Delhi, India. Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity. 3. 57-65. 10.22120/jwb.2019.113270.1084.
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