House Sparrow

Description

Noisy and gregarious, these cheerful exploiters of man's rubbish and wastefulness, have managed to colonise most of the world.

The House Sparrow is the ultimate opportunist, but is now struggling to survive in the UK. They are clearly declining in both gardens and the wider countryside and their recent declines have earned them a place on the Red List.

They used to be most common in gardens, but one nest has been found 600m down a coal mine shaft in Yorkshire!. The diet is made up of Seeds, also shoots, berries, scraps, nestlings mostly insects, mostly on ground, but will hover momentarily.

Facts

Length
14 cm

Maximum Recorded Age
12 years, 0 months

Typical Lifespan
3 years

Age at First Breeding
1 year

First clutches laid
Late March

Number of broods
2 or 3

Number in Britain
13.4 million (sharp decline)

Conservation Status UK
Red

Status in UK
Resident Breeder

Fledging
15-17 days

Wingspan
24cm

Weight
34g

Habitat
Near man, Mostly in Towns. Also common in: Villages

First Record
8th Century

Egg Size
22x16 mm

Egg Weight
2.9 g

Clutch Size
4-5 eggs

Incubation
13-15 days

Quick Facts

Some cities have lost three quarters of its sparrow population between 1994 and 2000. They were once one of the commonest birds in Britain.
In some built-up areas the population has fallen by 99%.
The deterioration of the population is a mystery, although there has been some probable theories put forward. They include the use of mobile phones.
Young birds need a high percentage of insects in their diet when they first hatch, but as adults they are vegetarian.
In the late 1960’s it was found that sparrows soon learned new feeding habits; taking food from the feeders.
It takes just 13 days for incubation and just two weeks before the young leave the nest.
They frequently nest in colonies.
Most pairs of sparrows raise two broods some regularly raise three.
Flocks in built-up areas move to the countryside in summer to feed on the harvests.

House Sparrow

Description

Facts

Quick Facts

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