House Sparrow

Birds—House Sparrow

Overview

The House sparrow is the number two urban pest bird. Introduced to North America, the house sparrow quickly spread across the country due to its lack of natural enemies and its adaptive traits. Ability to nest in urban structures, eat urban scraps and a large breeding capacity are some of these adaptive traits. The House Sparrow is actually a member of the weaverbird family and not a true Sparrow. Weaverbirds create intricate nests and relative to their size, the largest nests in the bird world. Their legs and toes are favored for branch perching and their short conical bills are ideal for seed cracking. Their diet consists of seeds and grain, as well as Fruits, vegetables, human table scraps and insects. They are boisterous, intelligent birds who roost in noisy flocks on branches of city trees, ivy covered walls and under eaves of houses.

Characteristics

To identify the House Sparrow, look for the black throat and chest patch, light cheeks and brown nape on the male. The female has a plain brownish chest and dull eye-stripe.

Where

All fifty states: Urban and Suburban areas

Habitat

Trees and building structures

Nesting

They build elaborate nests with the nest as the center of all activity. They prefer small enclosed places such as house shutters, drainage piping, building rafters and corrugated metal siding. They will build a spherical nest in a tree or another exposed place if they have no other option. The building material will be sticks, with an inside lining of grass, string, fabrics or straw. The nest will often hold several families.

Breeding

House sparrows only mate for a season. They average three broods per mating season with each brood containing four to seven eggs with twenty offspring a year average. Egg coloration will be white, pale blue or pale green with a few gray or brown dots. If unchecked, a breeding pair will grow to over two thousand birds in two to three years.

Cycles

House Sparrows are not migratory but in cold climates can show movement between rural/suburban breeding sites and warmer winter roosting sites in the city. House Sparrows are aggressive birds and will force out other birds from their territories. They are flocking birds and will gather in the thousands to take over feeding and roosting areas.

Damage

House Sparrows can be a major nuisance in urban areas due to their nestling, eating and living habits. Gutters and drainage pipes clogged with sparrow nests backup and cause extensive water damage. Furthermore, numerous fires have been attributed to electrical shorts from machinery housing sparrow nests. Lastly, feces buildup leads to structural damage from the uric acid in the droppings. The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites in the feces also pose a serious health risk.

Control

To control house sparrows eliminate all present and potential nesting spots at the site. Fill or net off all gaps, crevices and crannies. Remove or reduce all food and water sources. This is the only sure way to get rid of house sparrows. If physical exclusion is impractical or too expensive, a weekly program of nest removal and food source control will greatly reduce population numbers.