House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) | Affiliated Manuscripts | Further Data

Occurrence in Amherst & Connecticut Valley, Mass.
C19

Abundant resident

January - December

C20

Common permanent resident about buildings, almost never seen away from them

January - December

C21

Resident. This Old World native was introduced and reintroduced at many locations in North America starting in the 1850s and by about 1910 had spread throughout nearly the entire continent.

January - December

Habitat
Cities, towns, and agricultural areas. (National Audubon Society)
Nest Materials
Nests of coarse dried vegetation, then lined with cotton, feathers, grass, and string
19th-20th Century Field Notes
ENGLISH SPARROW . Ashy - gray ; middle of back , streaked with black and bay ; crown , bordered on each side with chestnut ; beneath , ashy - white ; chin and throat , black . Female is without the chestnut on crown , or black on throat . Length , 6 inches . Abundant resident , being absent only in the severest winter weather . Raises 3 – 4 broods . Eggs 4 - 7 , grayish - white , spotted with a very dark shade of gray . Nest of cotton , feathers , string , grass , etc . , in holes in trees , bird - houses , etc . Eggs laid from A pril to August . Feeds on grain , seeds , buds , leaves , flowers of fruit trees , etc . VERY INJURIOUS . Notes , loud and quarrelsome ; a most disagreeable chatter .

—H.L. Clark, 1887

21st Century Conservation Notes

Probably has affected some native birds by competing for nest sites and food. Eastern population peaked around 1900, has been gradually declining in recent years.*