House Sparrow

Description:

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. The House Sparrow is strongly associated with human habitations, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. It feeds mostly on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is an opportunistic eater and commonly eats insects and many other foods. Its predators include domestic cats, hawks, owls, and many other predatory birds and mammals.

Habitat:

The House Sparrow is closely associated with human habitation and cultivation. It is not an obligate commensal of humans as some have suggested, as Central Asian birds usually breed away from humans in open country, and birds elsewhere are found away from humans. The only terrestrial habitats in which House Sparrows do not occur are dense forest and tundra. Well adapted to living around humans, it frequently lives and even breeds indoors, especially in factories, warehouses and zoos. It has been recorded breeding in an English coal mine 640 m (2,100 ft) below ground, and feeding on the Empire State Building's observation deck at night. It reaches its greatest densities in urban centres, but its reproductive success is greater in suburbs, where insects are more abundant. On a larger scale, it is most abundant in wheat-growing areas such as the Midwestern United States.