Click on any image to open the slideshow
Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
House Sparrow
Not native to Florida
Native to Europe, house sparrows were introduced to the United States via New York in the 1850's to control wireworms and insects. Later introductions to San Francisco and Salt Lake City in the 1870's allowed them to also get established west of the Rocky Mountains. They are now found nearly everywhere in the country where there are humans.
Passer domesticus is a plumper bird with a more rounded head than most American sparrows. House sparrows also have a shorter tail and thicker beak. Males have a distinctive black bib, gray crown and black bill when in breeding plumage. Females and non-breeding males are buffy-brown on top and a dingy-white underneath. The backs have areas of buff, black and brown. Non-breeding males have a yellow bill. These birds are 15-17cm (6 TO 6-3/4 in.) long with a wingspan of 19-25cm (7-1/2 to 10 in.).
House sparrows frequently nest in nooks and crannies of buildings and other human-built structures.
Passer domesticus is a member of the Passeridae - Old World Sparrows family.
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Jun 14, 2025
