Bird Species

House Sparrows

One of the few species not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, house sparrows are considered an invasive species.

Understand the Problem

Issues Caused By House Sparrows

House sparrows live and travel in large flocks, leaving a trail of noise disruption in their wake. They create damage to buildings and infrastructure, damaging insulation materials and entering indoor areas like food courts, malls, and warehouses, where droppings and nesting materials are disruptive. Furthermore, sparrow nest materials are a fire hazard when they get into machinery or vents. House sparrows may look innocent, but they can kill other native birds to take over their nests.

Solutions

How to Manage Issues
with House Sparrows

If house sparrows are causing issues by entering buildings, it’s important to deploy exclusion tactics such as cover and netting. House sparrows can be pushed outdoors via the use of lasers or nets and live traps to catch and release outdoors.

If a house sparrow nest is found without young, the nesting material should be removed. If nestlings are present, we recommend making an alternate nest as close to the previous nest as possible and move the nestlings, watching to ensure the return of the parents.

Diverse Range of Species

Learn More About the Species

Appearance

House sparrows are small, short and stocky birds with thick bills. Their backs are brown with black streaks. Both sexes have a grayish breast without stripes and a short tail. Males will also have a black “v” shaped bib on the breast under the beak, gray-brown feathers with a white horizontal bar on the wing, and gray on the top of the head with chestnut below. Females are a dull gray with a light streak at and behind the eye, and yellow at the base of the beak.

Behavior

Aggressive, tough, and adaptable. May evict native birds from nests in rural areas.

Diet

Forages on ground, sometimes perching on weed stalks to reach seeds. House sparrows are adaptable and can come to bird feeders or take bugs from grills of cars. Their main diet is seeds (grass or weed). In urban areas, they will eat crumbs left by people.

Habitat

Cities, towns, farms (always by manmade structure). Invasive species.

Nesting

House sparrows often breed in small colonies. Pairs will defend a nest, chasing away all intruders. Their nest is usually in a small, enclosed area, such as holes in buildings, rain gutters, birdhouses, etc. They usually make 3-6 eggs per clutch, and both parents will care for and feed nestlings. House sparrows have 2-3 broods per pair, per year.

Migration

House sparrows are permanent residents of areas throughout North America with no migration pattern.

Protected Status

No, house sparrows are not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the US. They are considered an invasive species.

Sources: The Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird guide, Humane Society of the United States, Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, Nest Watch