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House sparrow

Passer domesticus

A cheerful, chirping brown bird that lives alongside people. The male has a grey cap and a black bib.

Size
About 14cm long
Look for it
All year round
Where
Gardens, hedges, streets and anywhere near buildings

My spotter's list

Hops after you and chirps, never far from its friends. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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House sparrow

Good to know

Six things about the house sparrow

People

A bird of people

House sparrows have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, and are rarely found far from buildings.

Decline

Where did they go?

London lost about seven in ten of its sparrows between the 1990s and 2000s. Nobody is completely sure why.

Bib

The black bib

Males with a bigger black bib tend to be higher up the pecking order.

Baths

Dust baths

Sparrows bathe in dry dust as well as in water, to keep their feathers in good condition.

Friends

Never alone

Sparrows nest, feed, bathe and roost together, in noisy little groups.

Nest

Under the tiles

They nest in holes in buildings, under roof tiles, and in special sparrow nest boxes with several rooms.

The real thing

Photos of the house sparrow

House sparrow, photo 1
Photo: Arnold Paul, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
House sparrow, photo 2
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
House sparrow, photo 3
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Listen for a noisy chorus of chirps coming from a thick hedge or bush, then watch for small brown birds going in and out together.

Lend a hand

How to help

Put up a sparrow terrace nest box under the eaves, let a hedge grow thick, and provide seed and water all year.

Keep going

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