House Sparrow

How to recognise it

• Sturdy, compact body with a large head and a heavy, conical bill
• Male has a grey crown, chocolate brown nape and black bib onto the upper breast
• Female is dull brown and pale grey with a pale eyebrow, clearest behind the eye
• Clear white front wing bar in all plumages and no black cheek patch

Call and song

Only the male sings, a monotonous, fairly loud and rhythmic "tjilp". A persistent, chattering twitter is often heard from several House Sparrows at once. The alarm for enemies in the air is a soft, trilling "dryyy", and for enemies on the ground it gives persistent nasal calls like "kev kev" or "terrettett".

Where and when

The House Sparrow is resident and occurs in most of Sweden except the mountains. It is reported from all 21 counties and is reported most in January. Numbers in Sweden have fallen but still come to about one million individuals, and it is not red-listed in the Swedish Red List 2025.

Food and behaviour

It eats mainly seeds, above all cultivated grain. From spring to summer, insects and other animal food can make up to 30 percent of its diet. It lives in flocks, also mixed ones with for example Tree Sparrows, and usually hops rather than walks on the ground. It takes sand baths against feather parasites and flies fast, straight and fairly low.