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.
Fledging
15-17 days
Incubation
13-15 days
Clutch Size
4-5 eggs
Egg Weight
2.9 g
Egg Size
22x16 mm
First Record
8th Century
Habitat
Near man, Mostly in Towns. Also common in: Villages
Weight
34g
Wingspan
24cm
Length
14 cm
Status in UK
Resident Breeder
Conservation Status UK
Red
Number in Britain
13.4 million (sharp decline)
Number of broods
2 or 3
First clutches laid
Late March
Age at First Breeding
1 year
Typical Lifespan
3 years
Maximum Recorded Age
12 years, 0 months