Home/Species/ House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

House Sparrow

G5Secure Found in 155 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106216

Element CodeABPBZ01010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassAves

OrderPasseriformes

FamilyPasseridae

GenusPasser

Other Common Names

English Sparrow (EN) Gorrión Casero (ES) Moineau domestique (FR) Pardal-Doméstico (PT)

Concept Reference

American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-04-09

Change Date1996-12-04

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Range Extent Comments

Native to Old World (northern Scandinavia and northern Siberia south to northern Africa, Arabia, India, and southeast Asia). Introduced and established as a resident from the north coast of British Columbia and southern Yukon to Newfoundland, south to South America, West Indies (including Puerto Rico, where the species is uncommon and local on the south coast and a flock of 60 was found on Isla Mona in 1987), Hawaii (all main islands), south and east Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and many other areas of world (AOU 1998). Expansion continues in South America unaided by humans (Ridgely and Tudor 1989). Accidental (3 records) in Alaska; two vagrants in southeastern Alaska probably came from the North American exotic population, but one from St. Lawrence Island undoubtedly came from an introduced population on the Chukotsk Peninsula (Kessel and D. Gibson, University of Alaska Museum, unpublished records).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

North America: cities, villages, farms, parks. Nests in cavities and in crevices of structures.

Ecology

See Bennett (1990) for information on the ecological relationship between the house sparrow and house finch in North America.

Reproduction

In North America, breeding begins earlier in the south than in the north. Clutch size generally averages near 4 in the southern U.S., near 5 in the northern U.S. and southern Canada. In the northern U.S., most females produce 2-3 broods per year; generally clutch initiation occurs about 4-7 days after fledging of a brood, though quicker renesting sometimes occurs. Incubation averages 12 days, mostly by female. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at an average age of 14-17 days. In various areas of North America, hatching success was 50-83%, fledging success was 53-78%, and nesting success was 31-71% (see Anderson 1994).

Terrestrial Habitats

Cropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchardUrban/edificarian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Virginia	SNA	No
Idaho	SNA	No
Illinois	SNA	No
South Carolina	SNA	No
Iowa	SNA	No
Florida	SNA	No
New York	SNA	No
North Dakota	SNA	No
Indiana	SNA	No
District of Columbia	SNA	No
Ohio	SNA	No
Colorado	SNA	No
Kentucky	SNA	No
Connecticut	SNA	No
Delaware	SNA	No
Michigan	SNA	No
Maryland	SNA	No
New Jersey	SNA	No
New Mexico	SNA	No
Maine	SNA	No
New Hampshire	SNA	No
Rhode Island	SNA	No
Kansas	SNA	No
Massachusetts	SNA	No
Louisiana	SNA	No
Oregon	SNA	No
Minnesota	SNA	No
Vermont	SNA	No
Alaska	SNA	No
Arkansas	SNA	No
Wyoming	SNA	No
Montana	SNA	No
Nevada	SNA	No
Wisconsin	SNA	No
West Virginia	SNA	No
Alabama	SNA	No
Missouri	SNA	No
Pennsylvania	SNA	No
Tennessee	SNA	No
Georgia	SNA	No
California	SNA	No
Oklahoma	SNA	No
Arizona	SNA	No
Washington	SNA	No
North Carolina	SNA	No
Nebraska	SNA	No
Mississippi	SNA	No
Utah	SNA	No
Texas	SNA	No
South Dakota	SNA	No
Navajo Nation	SNA	No

CanadaNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Nova Scotia	SNA	No
Alberta	SNA	No
Manitoba	SNA	No
Labrador	SNA	No
British Columbia	SNA	No
Yukon Territory	SNA	No
Saskatchewan	SNA	No
Prince Edward Island	SNA	No
Quebec	SNA	No
Ontario	SNA	No
Nunavut	SNA	No
Island of Newfoundland	SNA	No
New Brunswick	SNA	No
Northwest Territories	SNA	No

Roadless Areas (155)

Arizona (10)

Area	Forest	Acres
Black Cross	Tonto National Forest	5,966
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless Area	Coronado National Forest	951
Chiricahua	Coronado National Forest	76,876
Goldfield	Tonto National Forest	15,257
Hackberry	Coconino National Forest	17,885
Lime Creek	Tonto National Forest	42,568
Mazatzal	Tonto National Forest	16,942
Oracle Roadless	Coronado National Forest	22,365
Pinaleno	Coronado National Forest	130,920
Santa Rita	Coronado National Forest	6,078

California (39)

Area	Forest	Acres
Antimony	Los Padres National Forest	40,911
Channell	Sequoia National Forest	45,429
Chico	Sequoia National Forest	39,836
Circle Mountain	San Bernardino National Forest	6,375
City Creek	San Bernardino National Forest	9,997
Coldwater	Cleveland National Forest	8,402
Crystal Creek	San Bernardino National Forest	6,783
Cucamonga C	San Bernardino National Forest	4,106
Deep Creek	San Bernardino National Forest	23,869
Dry Lakes	Los Padres National Forest	17,043
Fox Mountain	Los Padres National Forest	52,072
Glass Mountain	Inyo National Forest	52,867
Greenhorn Creek	Sequoia National Forest	28,226
Horse Mdw.	Inyo National Forest	5,687
Horton	Inyo National Forest	5,717
Iceberg - Mill Creek	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	26,988
Ladd	Cleveland National Forest	5,300
Magic Mountain	Angeles National Forest	15,542
Malduce Buckhorn	Los Padres National Forest	14,177
Matilija	Los Padres National Forest	5,218
Mill Peak	San Bernardino National Forest	7,884
Mt. Shasta B	Shasta-Trinity National Forest	2,809
Nordhoff	Los Padres National Forest	12,031
North Lake	Inyo National Forest	2,406
Paiute	Inyo National Forest	58,712
Pleasant View	Angeles National Forest	26,395
Pyramid Peak B	San Bernardino National Forest	7,194
Raywood Flat B	San Bernardino National Forest	11,373
San Dimas	Angeles National Forest	7,160
Sespe - Frazier	Los Padres National Forest	106,910
Sheep Mountain	Angeles National Forest	21,098
Sugarloaf	San Bernardino National Forest	8,206
Table Mtn.	Inyo National Forest	4,215
Tinemaha	Inyo National Forest	27,060
Westfork	Angeles National Forest	4,407
Wheeler Ridge	Inyo National Forest	15,744
Wild Horse Mtn. (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	28,822
Wonoga Pk.	Inyo National Forest	11,272
Woolstaff	Sequoia National Forest	41,445

Colorado (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bristol Head	Rio Grande NF	46,087
Dome Peak	Routt NF	35,716
Hermosa	San Juan NF	148,103
Long Park	Routt NF	42,100

Idaho (6)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Creek	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	118,582
Hoodoo	Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest	153,868
Italian Peak	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	141,158
Palisades	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	122,002
Pioneer Mountains	Salmon-Challis National Forest	172,460
Pioneer Mountains	Sawtooth National Forest	119,563

Montana (11)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bmss Ra 1485	Flathead National Forest	334,275
Bridger	Gallatin National Forest	45,059
Gallatin Fringe	Gallatin National Forest	51,571
Garfield Mountain	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	41,891
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area	Gallatin National Forest	143,991
Italian Peak	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	90,401
Madison	Gallatin National Forest	127,859
Mt. Gmt Area H	Custer National Forest	1,335
North Absaroka	Gallatin National Forest	159,075
North Absaroka	Custer National Forest	21,063
West Big Hole	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	133,563

Nevada (10)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bald Mtn.	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	41,598
Jobs Peak (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	1,342
Mt. Etna	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	20,527
Potosi	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,145
Rose - Dutch Louie	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	363
Rose - Evans	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	4,782
Rose - Hunter Lk No	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	149
Rose - Whites Canyon	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	2,568
Santa Rosa	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	54,555
South Schell	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	125,614

New Hampshire (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Great Gulf Ext.	White Mountain National Forest	15,110

New Mexico (16)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alamo Canyon	Santa Fe National Forest	8,639
Bull Canyon	Carson National Forest	11,512
Columbine - Hondo Wilderness Study Area	Carson National Forest	43,739
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold Wilderness	Gila National Forest	111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive Area	Gila National Forest	79,049
Devils Creek	Gila National Forest	89,916
Guaje Canyon	Santa Fe National Forest	6,104
Holy Ghost	Santa Fe National Forest	2,352
Nichols Reservoir	Santa Fe National Forest	1,518
Ortega Peak	Lincoln National Forest	11,545
Pecos WS River	Santa Fe National Forest	5,396
Rendija	Santa Fe National Forest	2,176
Sawyers Peak	Gila National Forest	59,743
South Guadalupe Mountains	Lincoln National Forest	20,930
Thompson Peak	Santa Fe National Forest	33,001
West Face Sacramento Mountains	Lincoln National Forest	41,176

North Carolina (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
South Mills River	Pisgah National Forest	8,588

North Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Sheyenne	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	14,537

Oregon (9)

Area	Forest	Acres
Crane Mountain	Fremont National Forest	23,096
Eagle	Mt. Hood National Forest	16,841
Hellhole	Umatilla National Forest	65,679
Homestead	Wallowa-Whitman National Forest	5,817
Hurricane Creek	Wallowa-Whitman National Forest	1,606
Lake Fork	Wallowa-Whitman National Forest	21,936
Sky Lakes A	Winema National Forest	3,940
Tenmile	Siuslaw National Forest	10,818
Umpqua Spit	Siuslaw National Forest	2,090

South Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Indian Creek	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	24,666

Texas (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Creek	National Forests in Texas	1,447

Utah (26)

Area	Forest	Acres
0419020	Ashley National Forest	355,684
418012	Uinta National Forest	25,758
418014	Uinta National Forest	9,683
418016	Uinta National Forest	35,240
418024	Uinta National Forest	51,699
418025	Uinta National Forest	32,698
418027	Uinta National Forest	13,884
Beehive Peak	Fishlake National Forest	59,137
Boulder Mtn. / Boulder Top / Deer Lake	Dixie National Forest	110,690
Burch Creek	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	6,938
Cottonwood	Dixie National Forest	6,754
Dark Valley	Dixie National Forest	27,481
Fishhook	Dixie National Forest	12,959
Lewis Peak	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	11,616
Lone Peak Contiguous	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	874
Marysvale Peak	Fishlake National Forest	22,624
Mt. Naomi	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	41,922
Mt. Olympus	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	9,982
North Francis	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	8,148
North Pavant	Fishlake National Forest	53,262
Oak Creek	Fishlake National Forest	54,053
Pine Valley Mountains	Dixie National Forest	57,673
Signal Peak	Fishlake National Forest	30,889
South Francis	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	3,374
Thousand Lake Mountain	Fishlake National Forest	27,267
Wellsville	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	1,717

Virginia (6)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Creek	Jefferson National Forest	18,274
Brush Mountain	Jefferson National Forest	6,002
Crawford Mountain	George Washington National Forest	9,892
Hunting Camp Little Wolf Creek	Jefferson National Forest	8,953
Southern Massanutten	George Washington National Forest	11,985
Three Sisters	George Washington National Forest	8,149

Washington (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alpine Lakes Adj.	Wenatchee National Forest	57,104
Devils Gulch	Wenatchee National Forest	24,419
Slide Ridge	Wenatchee National Forest	11,430
Taneum	Wenatchee National Forest	26,140

Wyoming (9)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cloud Peak Contiguous	Bighorn National Forest	113,757
Gros Ventre Mountains	Bridger-Teton National Forest	106,418
Palisades	Targhee National Forest	1,121
Salt River Range	Bridger-Teton National Forest	235,661
Sheep Mountain	Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest	17,626
South Wyoming Range	Bridger-Teton National Forest	85,776
West Slope Tetons	Targhee National Forest	47,448
West Slope Winds	Bridger-Teton National Forest	143,252
Wilderness Study Area	Targhee National Forest	51,961

References (41)

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