Sparrow

A sparrow is a small, seed-eating bird found in many parts of the world. Most sparrows are brown, gray, and streaked, with short tails and thick beaks built for cracking seeds. They are usually five to seven inches long and weigh less than an ounce, about as much as a few pennies. Scientists group sparrows into two big families: Old World sparrows from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and New World sparrows from the Americas.

The most famous sparrow is the house sparrow. It lives almost everywhere humans live. You can find it in cities, towns, farms, and parks on every continent except Antarctica. The house sparrow did not start out this way. It came from Europe and Asia. People brought a few to New York City in the 1850s, hoping the birds would eat pests in parks. The sparrows spread fast. Today there are billions of them around the world.

Sparrows eat mostly seeds and grains. They also eat insects, berries, and crumbs people drop. City sparrows have learned to hop around outdoor cafés and pick up dropped food. Some have even figured out how to trigger the motion sensors on automatic doors to get inside stores.

Sparrows build small, messy nests in holes, bushes, and the eaves of buildings. A female lays three to six speckled eggs at a time. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding the chicks. Babies grow fast. They leave the nest about two weeks after hatching. A pair of sparrows can raise several batches of chicks in a single spring and summer.

Even though sparrows seem to be everywhere, some kinds are in trouble. House sparrows have actually dropped in number in many European cities since the 1980s. Scientists are not sure why. Some blame modern buildings that have fewer nesting holes. Others point to less food, more pollution, or new diseases. The debate is still going on.

Sparrows have lived alongside people for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks linked them to the goddess Aphrodite. Jesus mentions sparrows in the Bible as small creatures still watched over by God. In many cultures, the sparrow stands for something humble and ordinary that matters anyway. The next time you see a little brown bird pecking at the sidewalk, look closer. It may be one of the most successful animals on the planet.