House sparrow
Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a small bird in the family Passeridae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds in the order Passeriformes. Adults weigh 26.5 g as a representative value, from 25 to 36 g, and have a wingspan of 23.45 cm, from 21 to 25 cm.
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Quick facts about the house sparrow
It is a terrestrial, sedentary granivore of human-modified land, with a geographic range of 34,410,000 km². The house sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 25 g – 36 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- 16 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 21 cm – 25 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 17.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Granivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 23 years
- Main food
- seedssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 11.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2 – 7src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 6 months – 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 3.25src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the house sparrow?
Photos of the house sparrow
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the house sparrow live?
Not recorded
What is the house sparrow?
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm (6.3 in) and a mass of 24–39.5 g (0.85–1.39 oz). Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black, white, and brown markings. One of 28 species in the genus Passer, the house sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.
The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, polar regions, and hot, dry deserts far away from human development. For sustenance, the house sparrow routinely feeds at home and public bird feeding stations, but naturally feeds on the seeds of grains, flowering plants and weeds. However, it is an opportunistic, omnivorous eater, and commonly catches invertebrates such as insects and their larvae, caterpillars, and many other natural foods.
Because of its numbers, ubiquity, and association with human settlements, the house sparrow is culturally prominent. It is extensively, and usually unsuccessfully, persecuted as an agricultural pest. It has also often been kept as a pet, as well as being a food item and a symbol of lust, sexual potency, commonness, and vulgarity. Though it is widespread and abundant, its numbers have declined in some areas. The bird's conservation status is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
From the Wikipedia article “House sparrow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_sparrow&oldid=1380684906), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the house sparrow sound like?
Is the house sparrow endangered?
The house sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the house sparrow classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPasseridae
- genusPasser
- SpeciesPasser domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Fringilla domestica, Passer domesitcus, Passer domesticua
Other names and names in other languages (200)
- Common house sparrowEnglish
- Domestic sparrowEnglish
- English sparrowEnglish
- European sparrowEnglish
- Gutter birdEnglish
- HuismossieAfrikaans
- BoemelaarsmossieAfrikaans
- Engelse MossieAfrikaans
- HūssparuOld English
- دوري شائعArabic
- العُصفُور الدُّوريArabic
- دوري منزليArabic
- عصفور دوري شائعArabic
- GurriónAragonese
- gurriapuAsturian
- КъадакоAvaric
- Dan sərçəsiAzerbaijani
- Йорт турғайыBashkir
- SpåtzBavarian
- Дамавы верабейBelarusian
- Домашно врабчеBulgarian
- পাতি চড়ুইBangla
- Golvan tiezBreton
- Golvan-tiezBreton
- БорбилооBuriat
- pardal comúCatalan
- Teulader ComúCatalan
- ХьозаChechen
- H́oziyChechen
- H́oziy - ХьозаChechen
- ОравиMari
- ᏥᏍᏆᏯCherokee
- Ял çерçийĕChuvash
- Кил-ҫурт ҫерҫийӗChuvash
- vrabec domácíCzech
- WarbelKashubian
- Adar y ToWelsh
- Aderyn ToWelsh
- Aderyn y ToWelsh
- GråspurvDanish
- LünkGerman
- DacklüünGerman
- HausspatzGerman
- HaussperlingGerman
- LüningGerman
- LüntjeGerman
- MöscheGerman
- SpatzGerman
- SperlingGerman
- WrobelLower Sorbian
- ΣπιτοσπουργίτιGreek
- ΣπιτοσπουργίτηςGreek
- dompaseroEsperanto
- PardalSpanish
- agraristaSpanish
- GorriónSpanish
- Gorrión caseroSpanish
- Gorrión chileroSpanish
- Gorrión comúnSpanish
- Gorrión DomésticoSpanish
- Gorrión EuropeoSpanish
- koduvarblaneEstonian
- Etxe-txolarreBasque
- Etxe-txolarreaBasque
- Gorrion comúnExtremaduran
- گنجشک شهریPersian
- گنجشک خانگیPersian
- گنجشک معمولیPersian
- varpunenFinnish
- GráspurvurFaroese
- Moineau francFrench
- moineau domestiqueFrench
- HüssparagNorthern Frisian
- PassareFriulian
- HûsmoskWestern Frisian
- Gealbhan binneIrish
- GlaiseanScottish Gaelic
- gealbhonnScottish Gaelic
- gealbhonnanScottish Gaelic
- Pardal comúnGalician
- JallynManx
- SparrooManx
- Guyra tupaoGuarani
- SchbadsSwiss German
- ચકલીGujarati
- ઘર ચકલીGujarati
- Mwano kayHaitian Creole
- דרור ביתHebrew
- דרור הביתHebrew
- घरेलू गौरैयाHindi
- गौरैयाHindi
- vrabacCroatian
- Domaći vrabacCroatian
- obični vrabacCroatian
- WroblUpper Sorbian
- WroblikUpper Sorbian
- házi verébHungarian
- Ընտանի ճնճղուկArmenian
- Տնային ճնճղուկArmenian
- Burung GerejaIndonesian
- GráspörIcelandic
- Passera EuropeaItalian
- Passero domesticoItalian
- イエスズメJapanese
- Manuk gerejaJavanese
- სახლის ბეღურაGeorgian
- Пораатайkjh
- Үй торғайыKazakh
- 집참새Korean
- BeytikKurdish
- Golvan chyCornish
- Enzungekwn
- PasserLatin
- HoesmösjLimburgish
- Spozlld
- naminis žvirblisLithuanian
- mājas zvirbulisLatvian
- сарсиMari
- пӧрткайыкMari
- TiuMāori
- ВрабецMacedonian
- Градско врапчеMacedonian
- домашно врапчеMacedonian
- Домашно (Градско) врапчеMacedonian
- അങ്ങാടിക്കുരുവിMalayalam
- Għasfur tal-bejtMaltese
- Оронгийн бор шувууMongolian
- चिमणीMarathi
- Ciak RumahMalay
- tvlof-fuswvMuscogee
- Ka chhù-chiáuMin Nan Chinese
- LüünLow German
- HuismusDutch
- gråsporvNorwegian Nynorsk
- Mouossonnrm
- PasseratOccitan
- ਘਰੇਲੂ ਚਿੜੀPunjabi
- Para JoontjiPapiamento
- Para di JonchiPapiamento
- Para di YonchiPapiamento
- Parha di JoonchiPapiamento
- Mòn·nhioePicard
- SchpatzPennsylvania German
- wróbel zwyczajnyPolish
- WróbelPolish
- wróbel (zwyczajny)Polish
- PassaròtPiedmontese
- گھروالی چڑیWestern Panjabi
- pardal-comumPortuguese
- pardal-de-telhadoPortuguese
- pardal-domésticoPortuguese
- Pardal-dos-telhadosPortuguese
- Pasler da chasaRomansh
- ChirikloriRomany
- ChirikloroRomany
- vrabieRomanian
- Vrabie de casăRomanian
- Воробей домовойRussian
- Домовый воробейRussian
- БарабыайYakut
- pàssaruSicilian
- SpeugieScots
- RánescihciNorthern Sami
- šilljocihciNorthern Sami
- ŽvirblisSamogitian
- ගේ කුරුල්ලාSinhala
- vrabec domovýSlovak
- domači vrabecSlovenian
- SerobeleSouthern Sotho
- harabeliAlbanian
- Harabeli i shtëpisëAlbanian
- домаћи врабацSerbian
- Врабац покућарSerbian
- Домаћи врабац - Domaći vrabacSerbian
- Vrabac pokućarSerbian
- furferarzuSardinian
- JolwaneSwati
- LüünikSaterland Frisian
- GoléjraSundanese
- gråsparvSwedish
- Shomoro-kayaSwahili
- சிட்டுக்குருவிTamil
- வீட்டுச் சிட்டுக்குருவிTamil
- ఇంటి పిచ్చుకTelugu
- ГунҷишкTajik
- นกกระจอกใหญ่Thai
- Pipit ng BahayFilipino
- SerçeTurkish
- Bayağı SerçeTurkish
- TswereTswana
- Бора хөкпешTuvinian
- горобець хатнійUkrainian
- Teuladíval
- PaskačVeps
- Sẻ nhàVietnamese
- UusmusseWest Flemish
- SpärVolapük
- Moxhon d' toetWalloon
- MusseZeelandic
- 家麻雀Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the house sparrow
Other species in the same genus Passer.
Eurasian tree sparrow
Passer montanus
Spanish sparrow
Passer hispaniolensis
Sudan golden sparrow
Passer luteus
Saxaul sparrow
Passer ammodendri
Sind sparrow
Passer pyrrhonotus
Italian sparrow
Passer italiae
CompareHouse sparrow vs Eurasian tree sparrowHouse sparrow vs Spanish sparrowHouse sparrow vs Sudan golden sparrowHouse sparrow vs Saxaul sparrow
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
How big is a house sparrow?
The house sparrow is a small bird with a wingspan of 23.45 cm, from 21 to 25 cm. Adults weigh 26.51 g, from 25 to 36 g.
What does the house sparrow eat?
The house sparrow is a granivore, placed at the herbivore trophic level.
Where does the house sparrow live?
The house sparrow lives on human-modified land. It is terrestrial and sedentary, with a geographic range of 34,410,000 km².
Is the house sparrow endangered?
No. The house sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a house sparrow live?
The house sparrow has a lifespan of 17.71 years as a representative value, and up to 23 years.
How many eggs does a house sparrow lay?
A house sparrow lays 4.35 eggs per clutch as a representative value, from 2 to 7, with 3.25 clutches per year. Incubation takes 11.75 days.
When does a house sparrow reach sexual maturity?
A house sparrow reaches sexual maturity at 273.8 days as a representative value, from 182.6 days to 1 year.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). House sparrow (Passer domesticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-sparrow
“House sparrow (Passer domesticus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-sparrow.
@misc{house_sparrow_2026,
title = {House sparrow (Passer domesticus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/house-sparrow},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}