34 Facts About House sparrow

House sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world.

House sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings.

The house sparrow is a compact bird with a full chest and a large, rounded head.

House sparrow can be confused with a number of other seed-eating birds, especially its relatives in the genus Passer.

The Eurasian tree House sparrow is smaller and slenderer with a chestnut crown and a black patch on each cheek.

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The Sind House sparrow is very similar but smaller, with less black on the male's throat and a distinct pale supercilium on the female.

House sparrow was among the first animals to be given a scientific name in the modern system of biological classification, since it was described by Carl Linnaeus, in the 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Later, the genus name Fringilla came to be used only for the common chaffinch and its relatives, and the house sparrow has usually been placed in the genus Passer created by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.

The Latin word passer, like the English word "House sparrow", is a term for small active birds, coming from a root word referring to speed.

The house sparrow is called by a number of alternative English names, including English sparrow, chiefly in North America; and Indian sparrow or Indian house sparrow, for the birds of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia.

In North America, house sparrow populations are more differentiated than those in Europe.

House sparrow originated in the Middle East and spread, along with agriculture, to most of Eurasia and parts of North Africa.

House sparrow has become highly successful in most parts of the world where it has been introduced.

In North America, the house sparrow now occurs from the Northwest Territories of Canada to southern Panama, and it is one of the most abundant birds of the continent.

The house sparrow was first introduced to Australia in 1863 at Melbourne and is common throughout the eastern part of the continent as far north as Cape York, but has been prevented from establishing itself in Western Australia, where every house sparrow found in the state is killed.

House sparrow is closely associated with human habitation and cultivation.

In most of eastern Asia, the house sparrow is entirely absent, replaced by the Eurasian tree sparrow.

In most of its range, the house sparrow is extremely common, despite some declines, but in marginal habitats such as rainforest or mountain ranges, its distribution can be spotty.

The house sparrow feeds mostly on the ground, but it flocks in trees and bushes.

In common with many other birds, the house sparrow requires grit to digest the harder items in its diet.

In urban areas, the house sparrow feeds largely on food provided directly or indirectly by humans, such as bread, though it prefers raw seeds.

In temperate areas, the house sparrow has an unusual habit of tearing flowers, especially yellow ones, in the spring.

The house sparrow is a victim of interspecific brood parasites, but only rarely, since it usually uses nests in holes too small for parasites to enter, and it feeds its young foods unsuitable for young parasites.

In turn, the house sparrow has once been recorded as a brood parasite of the American cliff swallow.

The house sparrow is a common victim of roadkill; on European roads, it is the bird most frequently found dead.

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House sparrow is host to a huge number of parasites and diseases, and the effect of most is unknown.

The commonly recorded bacterial pathogens of the house sparrow are often those common in humans, and include Salmonella and Escherichia coli.

Many of the diseases hosted by the house sparrow are present in humans and domestic animals, for which the house sparrow acts as a reservoir host.

House sparrow is infested by a number of external parasites, which usually cause little harm to adult sparrows.

Usually, the house sparrow is regarded as a pest, since it consumes agricultural products and spreads disease to humans and their domestic animals.

However, the house sparrow can be beneficial to humans, as well, especially by eating insect pests, and attempts at the large-scale control of the house sparrow have failed.

From around 1560 to at least the 19th century in northern Europe, earthenware "House sparrow pots" were hung from eaves to attract nesting birds so the young could be readily harvested.

The house sparrow has an extremely large range and population, so it is assessed as least concern for conservation on the IUCN Red List.

In South Asia, the house sparrow has largely vanished from major cities such as Karachi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Lahore.