English Sparrow also known as House Sparrow by Mica Hanchey
The English sparrow was released in the United States in 1850 and has since become an invasive non-native urban loving bird that has spread throughout the Americas. Against the advice of many they were introduced to combat canker worms that were harming the trees in Brooklyn, New York.
Males have a gray crown and cheeks, black throat and upper breast and black between the bill and eyes with brown legs. In summer the bill is a blue-black and in winter yellowish brown. The female has neither black on her head or throat or a gray crown. Her belly is streaked with brown. House Sparrows are 5.75 inches long and sometimes are confused with the Tree Sparrows, which are smaller and slimmer with a black patch on each check, chestnut not gray crown and two wing bars.
Sparrows feed their young insect larvae and adults eat seeds and grain of almost any plant. They especially like yellow flowers. In Europe the House Sparrows are declining which some believe is caused by methyl nitrite, a by-product of unleaded gasoline, which is toxic to insects that the young sparrows eat. Others believe it is due to the decrease in abandoned buildings. Here is the United States, they are so prolific they are referred to as flying rats.
House Sparrows are cavity nesters and are known to take over native bird’s nesting sites; especially bluebirds. They are more aggressive and smaller which makes it almost impossible to keep them out of birdhouses with perches. They build messy nests in abandon buildings, nooks and crannies anywhere. There can be as many as twenty to thirty nests in a given area with each having three to five broods a year. Since they stay year round, they get the nesting sites of migrating songbirds. If you would rather have songbirds make sure the entrance hole to your birdhouse is less than 1 3/8” with no perches.
These birds can transmit various diseases including Salmonella food poisoning. Care should be given when eating at covered picnic sites or outside restaurants.
Following is a link to a picture of a male House Sparrow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:House_sparrowII.jpg
References used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparrow
