House sparrow is a bird which belongs to the Passeridae family and their average length is 16cm. They show sexual dimorphism features and female sparrows are pale brown in colour whereas most of the male sparrows are bright coloured with white, black and brown plumage. Beside the house sparrow, there are 24 more species in the genus Passer.
House sparrows show a wide distribution from the region of Mediterranean to Asia and Europe. Along with that they are also found in other parts of the world like Africa and Australia. The main interesting fact about house sparrows is that these birds mainly prefer to live closer to human settlements, feeding on seeds as well as insects. Due to their small size, they have many predators which vary from large predatory birds like hawks and eagles to cats and other carnivorous mammals.
They are mainly known as omnivorous birds, which mainly feed on seeds and substitute their diet with berries, fruits and small insects. Along with that, some species are also adapted to life in the city area like gulls and pigeons, these plump little birds are known to eat almost anything that they can find.
Division of House Sparrow:
House sparrows are divided into 2 groups, with 6 subspecies in each.
The subspecies are listed below:
Passer Domesticus Domesticus Group
A. European house sparrow (Passer domesticus domesticus)
B. Egyptian house sparrow (Passer domesticus niloticus)
C. Eastern Mediterranean house sparrow (Passer domesticus biblicus)
D. Persian house sparrow (Passer domesticus persicus)
E. Northwest African house sparrow (Passer domesticus tingitanus)
F. Western Mediterranean house sparrow (Passer domesticus balearic ibericus)
Passer Domesticus Indicus Group
A. Indian house sparrow (Passer domesticus indicus)
B. Turkestan house sparrow (Passer domesticus bactrianus)
C. Kashmir house sparrow (Passer domesticus parkini)
D. Passer domesticus rufodorsalis
E. Passer domesticus hyrcanus
F. Passer domesticus hufufae
Classification of Sparrow:
The scientific name of sparrow Passer domesticus.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Scientific Name: Passer domesticus
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. To Which Category Do Sparrows Belongs to:
A. Carnivorous
B. Omnivorous
C. Herbivorous
D. Frugivorous
Answer: Omnivorous
2. To Which Phylum Does Sparrow Belongs to:
A. Non-chordata
B. Chordata
C. Colentreta
D. Porifera
Answer – Chordata
One Word Answer:
1. Sparrows belong to which family?
Ans. Family Passeridae.
2. Sparrows belong to which order?
Ans. Order Passeriformes.