For a bird that has chosen to live cheek by jowl with humans in Rye and clearly enjoys being our neighbour and lodger, the House Sparrow doesn’t always get the reciprocal love and respect that it deserves.
The House Sparrow is not a delicate bird. It is a chunky, fat-headed, broad-beaked, clumsy bruiser. But, it is spirited and characterful, overflowing with a streetwise “geezer” vibe.
The male has a chestnut body and wears a cockney grey cap with black mask and bib. The female is rather nondescript, with washed-out greys and browns.
It doesn’t have a song, as such, just a rudimentary loud, simple “chirp” that drives some people – the non-believers – mad.
House Sparrows live semi-colonially in unruly gangs of 20 pairs or so. The nest fits the bird well. It is utilitarian and without frills, a vague dome made of straw and detritus that is hidden in the nooks and crannies and imperfections of our buildings and in thick vegetation. Here they will bring up two, maybe three, broods each year. Family groups will roost together in the nest during the breeding season; thereafter rabble hoards and assorted scallywags will jam into all sorts of holes and crevices to spend a communal night.
House Sparrows mostly eat seeds and other plant material, but will also take insects, especially to feed their babies.
These are very sedentary birds, rarely venturing far from their nest sites, though in autumn and winter they may make feeding forays out on to local farmland.
I sometimes wonder if people who don’t like House Sparrows don’t really like birds at all. Because if you watch House Sparrows I guarantee that you will smile and you will learn much about birds and bird behaviour. They can be studied in detail and enjoyed at close quarters almost anywhere in Rye.
During the Second World War the Ministry of Agriculture urged Britons to kill House Sparrows – “Hitler’s Feathered Friends” – to prevent them from feeding on crops. There has always been a slight mistrust, sometimes dislike of them, that is mostly illogical. Here are some quotes from a famous bird expert and author from the 1970s. The author shall remain nameless, but they should have known better:
“Sparrows live with us, but they never really become friends…They easily become pests, denying more welcome birds…. Sparrows are much too successful.”
Well, be careful what you wish for, because House Sparrow numbers have plummeted in recent decades. There was a 70% drop between the late 1970s and 2010. They are on the UK Red List of species facing the highest risk of extinction. It should be a wake-up call that populations of our most common and familiar bird can crash before our eyes. There are several reasons for these declines, with increased domestic use of chemical pesticides and herbicides and “tidier” gardens at least partially to blame.
You can enjoy House Sparrow courtship displays close to where you live now. The male bird will circle the female, head and tail pointing to the sky and wings drooped to the ground. The female might not seem so impressed, her response usually being to half-heartedly peck the male bird back.
This spring and summer you’ll hear the incessant, optimistic calls of the House Sparrows all day long. They are performing “live” near you, right now, and you mustn’t miss the show.
Image Credits: Alan Martin , Jamie Medford , James Tomlinson , Barry Yates .