The common house Sparrow
The common house Sparrow is a familiar sight; in fact, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who does not know what they look like. Like most common animals in the wild, they are labelled as a pest, and it is no surprise to see most pest control businesses have a sizeable list of creatures they consider to be pests. The Sparrow is no exception. Despite the dull colour of the Sparrow, they are still beautiful and interesting. Only the other day after watching the Sparrows on the bird feeder did I witness them hovering and flying backwards, which surprised me, as I have never seen them do that before.
Songs
Every morning, the Sparrow greets the morning with an orchestra of cheep cheep’s which are the males trying to attract females and to announce that they possess a nest. Females rarely use the cheep cheep song, unless it is to announce to the male that they are seeking a new suitor after losing her previous mate.
Click play to hear sparrow song.
Male and female House Sparrows make single cheep notes to indicate submissiveness in flocks, or between pairs as part of courting or copulation. Females make a short chattering sound when chasing off other females, or when her mate approaches.
House Sparrows hop rather than walk on the ground. They are social, feeding in crowded flocks and often squabbling over crumbs or seeds on the ground. House Sparrows are a common sight at bird feeders; you may also see them bathing in street-side puddles or dust, bathing on open ground, ruffling their feathers, and flicking water or dust over themselves with similar motions.
From living in such close company, House Sparrows have developed many ways of indicating dominance and submission. Nervous birds flick their tails. Aggravated birds crouch with the body horizontal, shove their head forward and partially spread and roll forward their wings, and hold the tail erect. This can intensify to a display with wings lifted, crown and throat feathers standing on end, tail fanned, and beak open. Males with larger amounts of black on the throat tend to dominate over males with less black. When males display to a prospective mate, they fluff up their chest, hold their wings partially open, fan the tail, and hop stiffly in front of the female, turning sideways and sometimes bowing up and down. Sometimes, other males who spot such a display in progress will fly in and begin displaying as well. In flocks, males tend to dominate over females in fall and winter, but females assert themselves in spring and summer.
Hovering Of House Sparrow
Save Sparrow Birds
In many cultures, sparrows are seen as good luck. In Chinese culture, the sparrow is an auspicious symbol of happiness and the coming of spring, while in Indonesian lore, sparrows signify birth, marriage, rain and other good tidings.
More articles here
