Passer domesticus
(house sparrow)

Passer domesticus (the house sparrow) is a small bird, native to Eurasia and northern Africa, that was intentionally introduced to the Americas. Passer domesticus are non-migratory birds that are often closely associated with human populations and are found in highest abundance in agricultural, suburban and urban areas. They tend to avoid woodlands, forests, grasslands and deserts. Particularly high densities of Passer domesticus were found where urban settlements meet agricultural areas. They may evict native birds from their nests and out-compete them for trophic resources. Early in its invasion of North America, Passer domesticus began attacking ripening grains on farmland and was considered a serious agricultural pest. Recent surveys indicate populations are declining.

Native range: The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is native to Eurasia and northern Africa, occurring from the United Kingdom east to Siberia with the exception of Italy (Aguirre and Poss 2000).
Known introduced range: The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) has been introduced and is now common in populated areas throughout the world. House sparrows have been introduced into South America, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to North America. In the United States, it is established in all five Gulf States.

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) may evict native birds from their nests and out-compete them for trophic resources. For the most part, P. domesticus is always found around man-made structures and lives around cities, towns and farms. It is non-migratory. Along the Gulf coast of North America it is found in salt marsh scrub in disturbed areas (Toups and Jackson 1987, in Aguirre and Poss, 2000). Foraging habitat includes fields and agricultural areas (Aguirre and Poss, 2000).

Nutrition
House sparrow (Passer domesticus) diet consists mostly of weed and grass seeds, grains and insects. Where available, it also feeds on cultivated grains, fruits and vegetables. Although it forages mostly on the ground in open areas, P. domesticus will perch on weed stalks to take seeds and search tree barks for insects. In urban areas, garbage constitutes a significant part of the birds diet and the consumption of grains by urban birds is less significant than in rural areas (D. Summers-Smith, 1963).

Reproduction
House sparrow (Passer domesticus) nests are built from dried vegetation, feathers, string and paper. Eggs are laid at any time in the nesting period. One to eight eggs can be present in a clutch, with the possibility of four clutches per nesting season. Incubation begins after all the eggs have been laid. Both males and females incubate the eggs for short periods of a few minutes each. Incubation lasts for 10 to 14 days.

Environmental

• Biological control

In some part of Europe, Asia and North Africa, the distribution of P. domesticus overlaps with the distribution of the Spanish sparrow P. hispaniolensis. Males of the two species have distinct plumages and can easily be separated. However, female and juvenile P.hispaniolensis are very similar to P. domesticus females and juveniles (Perrins, C. (ed) 1998).In some part of Europe, Asia and North Africa, the distribution of P. domesticus overlaps with the distribution of the Spanish sparrow P. hispaniolensis. Males of the two species have distinct plumages and can easily be separated. However, female and juvenile P.hispaniolensis are very similar to P. domesticus females and juveniles (Perrins, C. (ed) 1998).

The adult male P. domesticus is quite distinctive but might be confused with Passer montanus (Eurasian tree sparrow, St. Louis, Missouri). P. montanus has a black spot on the ear coverts and an entirely brown crown.

According to Gough et al. (1998), the female P. domesticus looks somewhat similar to a number of species of sparrows but has unstreaked underparts, tawny streaks on the back, and a large yellowish bill. The female Spiza americana (dickcissel) also has a large bill but it is gray--not yellow--and usually has some yellow in the face and a rusty patch in the wing.

Due to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.

Preventative measures: The Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australia, recently developed a risk assessment model (Bomford, 2003) which has been endorsed by the National Vertebrate Pests Committee and may be used as the basis for future exotic species import applications. To assign an exotic species to a threat category, three risk scores are calculated: the risk that (1) an escaped or released individual would harm people, (2) escaped or released individuals would establish a wild free-living population (3) the species would be a pest if a wild population did establish. These three risk scores are then used to assign the exotic species to one of four threat categories: extreme, serious, moderate or low.

Passer domesticus has been assigned an Extreme threat catergory for Australia. These animals should not be allowed to enter, nor be kept in any State or Territory. (Special consideration may be given to scientific institutions on a case by case basis.) Any species that has not been assessed previously should be considered to be in the Extreme Threat Category and should be treated accordingly, until a risk assessment is conducted.

Physical: According to Glacking (2000), there are several ways to control P. domesticus and prevent sparrow problems. One is habitat modification. Roosting and nesting sites can be reduced by blocking entrances larger than 2cm. Buildings can be designed or altered to eliminate resting places. In some areas, building codes are modified and architectural committees review plans to reduce nesting sites.
Food sources can be reduced by removing edible human refuse, protecting small crops with bird netting and practicing clean livestock feeding techniques. Feed also needs to be covered to protect it from bird droppings. Bird-resistant varieties of plants can be planted.

More direct methods of control include shooting, trapping, poisoning and repelling. House sparrows can be shot with air guns and small arms containing BB's and dust shot. Trap types include funnel, automatic, triggered and mist nets. Trapping is generally difficult, as sparrows quickly learn to avoid traps, nets, etc. (Summers-Smith, 1963). P. domesticus can be repelled with noise, such as fireworks or alarms. Bird glues and Nixalite (trademark for "porcupine wire") annoy the sparrows. They can also be scared away with scarecrows and motorised hawks. Destroying nests can be another method of reducing P. domesticus populations.

Reviewed by: Dr. Andras Liker Department of Zoology, University of Veszprém. Veszprém Hungary.

Compiled by: National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)Updates with support from the Overseas Territories Environmental Programme (OTEP) project XOT603, a joint project with the Cayman Islands Government - Department of Environment

Last Modified: Monday, October 04, 2010