House sparrow
- The house sparrow has the AMY2A gene, which helps it better break down starch. This gene allows it to break long starch molecules into shorter ones.
- The house sparrow got its name because it lives near human dwellings. Its species name "domesticus" is related to its frequent occurrence near human homes.
- A male house sparrow raised by canaries learned to sing like them. The adult sparrow learned the canary song from being raised by them since childhood.
- The house sparrow survived in the extreme conditions of Halmer-Y village, settling under the roof of a mechanical workshop after arriving in a covered wagon. In the 1970s, it established itself there despite the harsh environment.
Age
The house sparrow’s typical lifespan ranges from 17 years and 3 months to 28 years and 9 months, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 23 years, and a theoretical lifespan between 16 years and 2 months and 20 years and 10 months. The species reaches sexual maturity from 3 weeks and 3 days to 6 weeks and 1 day; the young’s eyes open between 4 and 5 days of age, during the “Embryo” stage when the embryo develops inside an egg. The “Chick” stage follows, where the chick is in the nest and fed insects and seeds by its parents for a duration of 2 weeks to 2 weeks and 3 days. The “Adult” stage begins when the bird is capable of reproduction and lives independently, lasting from 10 months to 8 years and 3 months.
Phenotype
The house sparrow has short, strong beaks that enable it to crack seeds and catch insects, and thin legs with gripping toes that allow it to walk on the ground and perch on branches; adult plumage is gray on the head, with a large black patch on the throat, a brown back with black stripes, and a light belly. The young have yellow corners of the mouth which assist parents in precisely placing food, and are covered in sparse down feathers during the first few days. The species’ wings are short and rounded, facilitating fast flight over short distances.
Physiology
House sparrows measure from 14 to 16 centimeters in body length, weigh from 16.7 to 25.4 grams, and have a wingspan of from 23.3 to 24.5 centimeters; the adult stage has a body mass of from 24 to 32 grams and a body length of from 14 to 16 centimeters. During the embryo stage, the young weigh from 2.5 to 3.5 grams and measure from 1.8 to 2.2 centimeters in body length; the nestling stage sees the young weighing from 3 to 22 grams and measuring from 5 to 10 centimeters in body length.
Habitat
House sparrows inhabit land areas ranging in elevation up to 2 kilometers; they are found in temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees, flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, and taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as fir and pine. The species also occupies highlands and tundra, terrestrial forests, ground-level meadows and steppes, and shrublands; the climate varies, including very hot summers exceeding 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, consistently wet conditions with frequent rain and high humidity, a cool summer with abundant rainfall and snowfall in winter, snowy winters with cold temperatures, and warm summers with frequent rains.
Shelter
House sparrows shelter in crevices of buildings, under roofs, in tree cavities, or dense bushes. The species builds or uses nests for laying eggs and raising young. Nests are constructed from grass, feathers, twigs, and paper.
Geography
House sparrows are distributed across five biogeographical realms: Afrotropics, Indomalaya, Nearctic, Neotropical and Palearctic; the species occupies Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of Mount Cilia, low-lying forests of Eastern Great Lakes, Balkan mixed forests, and Baltic mixed forests.
Feeding
The house sparrow’s diet consists of seeds, grains, small insects, and food waste; during summer, the species more frequently catches insects for its young. The house sparrow gathers food on the ground, on trees, and near buildings, employing an active hunting strategy to search for and obtain sustenance. Its food includes cereal seeds, insects, crumbs, berries, plants, grain, an insect, and a seed. The daily food requirement ranges from 6 grams to 12 grams, and the species preys upon beetles, flies, true bugs, butterflies, bedbugs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, mayflies, and net-winged insects. Cats and civets prey on house sparrows.
Reproduction
The development of the embryo of a house sparrow lasts 1 week and 4 days. A clutch contains from 4 to 6 eggs, and both the male and female build the nest together. The female lays from four to six eggs, and both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young. The breeding interval is from 2 weeks and 6 days to 1 month and 1 week. The young reach maturity in from 9 months to 1 year and 1 month. The species has from 4 to 6 broods.