House Sparrow: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Garden Birds · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. House sparrows take dust or water baths together, and hold "social singing" sessions, calling together in bushes.
2. Female sparrows are smaller, yet they rule at feeders and nests, and in the breeding season they may fight each other over males.
3. Male house sparrows wear a black throat patch called a "bib". Its size varies, and it may show a bird's rank or fitness.
4. In 1852, sparrows from England were let loose in New York City, in the hope they would stop linden moth caterpillars eating the trees.
5. Where it is introduced, the house sparrow can spread fast, sometimes at over 230 km a year.

The quiz

1. What do house sparrows do together in bushes?

• Build shared nests
• Share seeds
• Hide from rain
• Sing together (correct)

They hold "social singing" sessions, calling together in bushes.

2. Who is dominant at sparrow feeding stations and nests?

• The females (correct)
• The males
• The oldest birds
• The youngest birds

Females are dominant despite their smaller size.

3. What may the size of a male sparrow's black bib signal?

• Tomorrow's weather
• His rank or fitness (correct)
• Where food is hidden
• How deep the snow is

The black bib varies in size and may signal a male's rank or fitness.

4. In what year were sparrows from England released in New York City?

• 1752
• 1902
• 1852 (correct)
• 1952

Sparrows from England were let loose in New York City in 1852.

5. How fast can an introduced house sparrow population spread?

• About 2 km a year
• About 20 km a year
• About 20 km a month
• Over 230 km a year (correct)

It can spread sometimes at over 230 km a year.

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