| House Sparrows, so long a common sight in the cities and
towns of the United Kingdom, are facing a serious decline in their numbers.
We are lucky because our local population seems to be increasing over the
last 3 years with many more successful nest sites each year. The sexes are
different in appearance with the male having a grey crown, brown and black
streaked upper-parts, grey rump and under-parts, black throat and dull white
cheeks, black bib, white wing bars and a black eye stripe. The female is
much paler, more a dull brown without the grey crown, white cheeks, black
bib or eye stripe; young sparrows closely resemble female sparrows. The
House Sparrow eats a wide range of foods and will take almost anything you
put out for it, perhaps the reason for their successful breeding in our
local gardens. |
