House sparrows are survivors, even though they’re not a protected species as non-native...
House sparrows are not generally loved but they are survivors. Photo Credit: Kathy Adams Clark. Restricted use.Don’t you adore those cute, clever, sociable, adaptable and irrepressible little songbirds called house sparrows?
So why are these intrusive, European songbirds even here? It’s because during the early 1850s, a well-intentioned Nicolas Pike imported 50 pairs of house sparrows from their native land in England to Brooklyn, N.Y. Male house sparrows have a black bib, gray cap, chestnut nape and brown back with black streaks. Females are tan with bland yellow beaks and black streaking on their backs.They have shorter legs, thicker bodies and stouter bills than native sparrows like resident seaside sparrows along the coast and chipping sparrows in the Hill Country.House sparrows were also imported to San Francisco circa 1871, as well as other parts of the country.
They occupied towns, cities and farms, just as their ancestors did in Europe. Having once depended on forests for tree cavity nests, the birds learned that human communities have buildings and homes with nooks and crannies for nest sites as well as nest boxes in neighborhood yards.
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