Populations of House Sparrows are found throughout suburban areas of Kern County that have thick cover to escape into. They are particularly fond of barns and stables with fresh grain and manure. They are rarely found away from human habitation.

Adults: Length 14-16 cm, Wingspan 19-25 cm. Year round resident. Sexually dimorphic with males exhibiting 2 plumages during the year. They have short wings, medium tails and relatively large heads. 

Color: males: in spring; crown and forehead cool gray, lores and throat black, nape and back chestnut brown with black streaking, cheek, chest and belly cool light gray, coverts and flight feathers center black with tan edging, thin white wing bar, black bill, pinkish gray feet. in fall; black on lores and throat very dull to non-existent, overall plumage duller, bill upper mandible black, lower mandible yellowish black. Females: crown tannish gray, lores, forehead and cheek brown, buffy supercilium (eyebrow), throat to belly warm gray, flight feathers and back similar to male. Juveniles look like females.

Breeding: 2-3 broods per year, 1-8 generally 4-5 white, light green, or light blue eggs with dark markings per clutch. Monogamous. nesting begins March-April.

Nesting: Sloppy nest with opening on side made of straw, grass, weeds and trash. Lined with feathers or hair. Placed in cavities under eaves, in buildings, trees, or bushes. Nests in small colonies.

Incubation: 12-14 days. Both parents tend young.

Fledging: 14-16 days. Parents continue care for several days after fledging.

Song: vaguely metallic "cheep, chirrup." Song a series of cheeps, the roost can erupt into cacophony of song suddenly going completely silent.

Lifespan: 12.9 years, recent diminishing populations noted in native lands, attributed to fewer horse stables and pastures.

Diet: Seeds, especially waste grain and livestock feed, weeds and insects. Forages on the ground.

Habits: colonial roost and nesting. smaller numbers found foraging.

Habitat:  Suburban, gardens, stables, feedlots.

Range: Resident across Canada from northern British Columbia to Labrador, the entire United States southward into Mexico and Central America. Also, introduced into Hawaii, South America, southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Native to Eurasia.

Immigrants formed acclimatization societies to introduce native plants and wildlife from their home countries to the new lands they were now calling home. Fortunately, many of the species they introduced did not survive, unfortunately for native cavity nesters, the aggressive house sparrow did.

Article on Feral Birds by Paul Ehrlich

Exotic Introductions,” in Biodiversity and Conservation: A Hypertext Book

Cornell Laboratories account of the House Sparrow

Cornell's recordings of the House Sparrow song

Kern Introduced Species: plant list with a short introduction to exotic species    Kern Naturalized Animal Checklist    

Bullfrog    Virginia Opossum    Fox Squirrel    ROCK PIGEON    Spotted Dove    Ringed Turtle Dove    Eurasian Collared Dove    Rose-ringed Parakeet    European Starling    House Sparrow    Hodgepodge of introduced Species

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