Species guide
House Sparrow: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
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Photo © Ximo Galarza · CC BY-NC-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Passer domesticus
- Family
- Old World Sparrows
- Size
- About 14–16 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, villages and farms
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
The male has a grey crown, a black bib and chestnut sides to the head. The female is plain buff-brown with a pale eyebrow.
Voice
A cheerful, repeated “chirrup”.
Good to know
It lives closely with people and is found on almost every continent.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in towns, villages and farms. It is especially common in Spain, Türkiye, Morocco and Greece. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.