All pests

House sparrow (Passer domesticus)House sparrow

Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

House sparrow

The introduced sparrow that out-competes native birds for every cavity in town.

Order
Passeriformes
Family
Passeridae
Group
Birds
Ontario status
Established, ubiquitous

Why it matters

Displaces native cavity-nesting birds; fouls structures; contaminates livestock feed and food facilities.

Origin

Native to Eurasia; introduced to North America in the 1850s, now one of the continent's most familiar birds.

Behavior

Diurnal; gregarious; aggressive cavity competitor, evicts native nesters. Sedentary; rarely moves far from its colony.

Living conditions

Nests in cavities: eaves, vents, signs, nest boxes, and building crevices. Thrives wherever humans spill grain or food waste.

Signs of presence

  • Coarse grass nests stuffed into eaves, vents, and signs
  • Constant chirping colonies around buildings
  • Droppings and feathers below nest cavities
  • Evicted native birds' nests tossed below boxes

Weaknesses

  • Cavity-dependent: 2 cm mesh over vents and eaves locks it out
  • Sedentary, remove the local attractant and the local birds leave
  • Nests are messy and obvious in the open

Myths and facts

  • Myth House sparrows are native songbirds.

    Reality Introduced in the 1850s, an invasive species with no legal protection in Canada or the US, which is why management options differ from native birds.

Research notes

Morphology

Body 14-16 cm, weight 24-35 g. Male: grey crown, chestnut nape, black bib; female and juvenile: plain brown, streaked above.

Diagnostics

Stocky sparrow with conical bill; male plumage unmistakable; harsh chirping chorus at colonies.

Easily confused with

  • Native sparrows (e.g., song sparrow) Native sparrows are slimmer, streaked, and lack the male's grey crown and black bib.

Life cycle

Adult
Lifespan 2-3 years wild; up to 10+ in captivity
Egg
Clutch 3-5; incubation 11-14 days
Egg to adult
Hatch to fledging ~15 days
Generations per year
2-4 broods/year
Nymph or larva
Nestlings fledge at 14-17 days

Development

Oviparous; altricial.

Reproduction

3-5 eggs per clutch × 2-4 broods/year.

Distribution

Global
Worldwide in human settlements
Native range
Eurasia and North Africa
Ontario
Established, ubiquitous in settled areas

Ecology

Human commensal; cavity-nesting competitor; aggressive interspecific behavior, destroys eggs and young of native cavity nesters.

Resistance

Unknown.

IPM implications

Exclusion from eaves and vents with ≤2 cm mesh; nest removal outside breeding; reduce spilled grain and livestock feed. Because it is unprotected by migratory bird law, legal options are broader than for native species, verify current provincial regulations before work.

Chemical ecology

Limited; song and visual signaling dominate. Uropygial gland secretions for plumage.

Genetics and DNA

Reference genome published: NCBI GCA_001700915.1 (Passer_domesticus-1.0); annotated assembly in Kumar et al. 2025 (GigaByte).

Taxonomy

Order Passeriformes › family Passeridae › Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Open questions

Long-term population trends in Ontario cities amid building-envelope modernization.

References

  • Cornell Lab of Ornithology, House Sparrow (All About Birds)
  • Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, House Sparrows