House Sparrows

You can find House Sparrows most places where there are houses (or other buildings), and few places where there aren’t.

Along with two other introduced species, the European Starling and the Rock Pigeon, these are some of our most common birds.

Their constant presence outside our doors makes them easy to overlook,

and their tendency to displace native birds from nest boxes causes some people to resent them.

But House Sparrows, with their capacity to live so intimately with us, are just beneficiaries of our own success.

Habitat

House Sparrows are closely associated with people and their buildings.

Look for them in cities, towns, suburbs, and farms (particularly around livestock).

You won’t find them in extensive woodlands, forests, or grasslands. In extreme environments such as deserts or the far north,
House Sparrows survive only in the immediate vicinity of people.

Food

House Sparrows eat mostly grains and seeds, as well as livestock feed and, in cities, discarded food.

Among the crops they eat are corn, oats, wheat, and sorghum.

Wild foods include ragweed, crabgrass and other grasses, and buckwheat.

House Sparrows readily eat birdseed including millet, milo, and sunflower seeds.

Urban birds readily eat commercial bird seed. In summer, House Sparrows eat insects and feed them to their young.

They catch insects in the air, by pouncing on them, or by following lawnmowers or visiting lights at dusk.

Source: Celebrate Urban Birds