Exotic Sparrow

Exotic Sparrow

Exotic Sparrow

1. House Sparrows are chunky birds, slightly bigger than Great Tits, with relatively large heads and stout beaks. The back and wings of both sexes are streaked brown and black.

2. Female House Sparrows have no black bib, are buff-grey underneath and have a pale supercilium (stripe above the eye). Recently-fledged young look like females, with young males moulting into their black bibs during late summer and early autumn.

3. Males have a black bib, which extends up the throat, and around the beak and eye.The crown of the male is grey with chestnut-brown sides differing from that of the Tree Sparrow, which is all-chestnut brown (male and female Tree Sparrows look identical to one another).

4. House Sparrows usually pair for life and often use the same nest site year after year.

5. The black bib of the male is a signal of his quality  the bigger the bib, the more dominant the bird!

6. House sparrows are exotic birds. What is an exotic specie? An “Exotic species” is a plant or animal brought on purpose or accidentally into habitats where they never existed before. Also called a non-native species.

7. Eight pairs of sparrows were brought to Brooklyn, New York from Europe in 1850.  They were brought to control garden insects. Many wagon trains in the last century took along house sparrows in cages and released them along the way. Within 50 years he House sparrow spread all over the United States and Canada.

8. Why did they spread so fast? Because they were adaptable in finding food and nest sites in many different habitats, a key skill for a sturdy survivor.

9. House sparrows like to eat insects, seeds, and fruits and are Omnivores.

10 It's a very noisy bird and like's to take nests from native birds.