Of the less widespread P. d. indicus group subspecies, P. d. hyrcanus is larger than P. d. indicus, P. d. hufufae is paler, P. d. bactrianus is larger and paler, and P. d. parkini is larger and darker with more black on the breast than any other subspecies. [77][78] A few introductions have died out or been of limited success, such as those to Greenland and Cape Verde. [8][40] Mitochondrial DNA studies suggest that speciation in the genus occurred during the Pleistocene and earlier, while other evidence suggests speciation occurred 25,000 to 15,000 years ago. [7] This variation follows predictable patterns, with birds at higher latitudes being larger and darker and those in arid areas being smaller and paler. Sparrows were also trapped as food for falconers' birds and zoo animals. The male helps, but can only cover the eggs rather than truly incubate them. [12] The male's bill is black in the breeding season and dark grey during the rest of the year. The upper back and mantle are a warm brown, with broad black streaks, while the lower back, rump and upper tail coverts are greyish brown. [3] The house sparrow is a compact bird with a full chest and a large, rounded head. [89] It is not an obligate commensal of humans as some have suggested: birds of the migratory Central Asian subspecies usually breed away from humans in open country,[90] and birds elsewhere are occasionally found away from humans. In colder areas house sparrows build specially created roost nests, or roost in street lights, to avoid losing heat during the winter. [98] In most of eastern Asia, the house sparrow is entirely absent, replaced by the Eurasian tree sparrow. [167], In adult house sparrows, annual survival is 45–65%. Anting is rare. [73][74] Other factors may include its robust immune response, compared to the Eurasian tree sparrow. Despite this rapid spread, native relatives such as the Cape sparrow also occur and thrive in urban habitats. Unmated males start nest construction and call particularly frequently to attract females. From around 1560 to at least the 19th century in northern Europe, earthenware "sparrow pots" were hung from eaves to attract nesting birds so the young could be readily harvested. Its predators include domestic cats, hawks, and many other predatory birds and mammals. Passer ahasvar Kleinschmidt, 1904. When a female approaches a male during this period, the male displays by moving up and down while drooping and shivering his wings, pushing up his head, raising and spreading his tail, and showing his bib. In Europe, the most common mite found on sparrows is Proctophyllodes, the most common ticks are Argas reflexus and Ixodes arboricola, and the most common flea on the house sparrow is Ceratophyllus gallinae. [160], The female develops a brood patch of bare skin and plays the main part in incubating the eggs. Some birds breeding for the first time in tropical areas are only a few months old and still have juvenile plumage. [10], The male is duller in fresh nonbreeding plumage, with whitish tips on many feathers. [200], The house sparrow has an extremely large range and population, and is not seriously threatened by human activities, so it is assessed as least concern for conservation on the IUCN Red List. The sexes exhibit strong dimorphism: the female is mostly buffish above and below, while the male has boldly coloured head markings, a reddish back, and grey underparts. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). [164][165], The chicks' eyes open after about 4 days and, at an age of about 8 days, the young birds get their first down. [129] As the breeding season approaches, hormone releases trigger enormous increases in the size of the sexual organs and changes in day length lead males to start calling by nesting sites. Well adapted to living around humans, it frequently lives and even breeds indoors, especially in factories, warehouses, and zoos. ", "Mass-dependent predation risk as a mechanism for house sparrow declines? [8][132][161] The length of the incubation period decreases as ambient temperature increases later in the breeding season. [94] It reaches its greatest densities in urban centres, but its reproductive success is greater in suburbs, where insects are more abundant. Passer arboreus Bonaparte, 1850 (preoccupied) [148] Eggs hatch at the same time, after a short incubation period lasting 11–14 days, and exceptionally for as many as 17 or as few as 9. [77] The house sparrow was first introduced to Australia in 1863 at Melbourne and is common throughout the eastern part of the continent as far north as Cape York,[79] but has been prevented from establishing itself in Western Australia,[83] where every house sparrow found in the state is killed. However, juveniles cannot be reliably sexed by plumage: some juvenile males lack any markings of the adult male, and some juvenile females have male features. [21] P. d. bibilicus is paler than most subspecies, but has the grey cheeks of P. d. domesticus group birds. This hypothesis has led to a "veritable 'cottage industry'" of studies, which have only conclusively shown that patches increase in size with age. [8][55][56] However, how much this is caused by evolution or by environment is not clear. The Latin word passer, like the English word "sparrow", is a term for small active birds, coming from a root word referring to speed. Shop 5. [214][215], Various causes for the dramatic decreases in population have been proposed, including predation, in particular by Eurasian sparrowhawks;[216][217][218] electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones;[219] and diseases[220] such as avian malaria. In the day between ovulation and laying, egg white forms, followed by eggshell. Its specific status and origin are the subject of much debate, but it may be a case of long-ago hybrid speciation. Throat: Unlike males with their dark throats and black bib, the female house sparrow has a pale buff or gray-buff throat. [211] In London, the house sparrow almost disappeared from the central city. Its upperparts and head are brown with darker streaks around the mantle and a distinct pale supercilium. Birds of a pair copulate frequently until the female is laying eggs, and the male mounts the female repeatedly each time a pair mates. [156][157] Eggs begin to develop with the deposition of yolk in the ovary a few days before ovulation. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird. It is extensively, and usually unsuccessfully, persecuted as an agricultural pest. [109] In towns and cities, it often scavenges for food in garbage containers and congregates in the outdoors of restaurants and other eating establishments to feed on leftover food and crumbs.