Sparrows
Size: 13-16 cm (5″-6.6″)
Color:
- Male: Black throat, white cheeks, chestnut neck, grey crown, and rump.
- Female: Streaked dull brown with dingy white underparts.
Description:
House sparrows, commonly found across Ontario, are non-migratory birds that do not migrate across state lines. They typically nest in buildings, beginning in early spring, using materials such as grass, straw, and debris. For assistance with managing house sparrow nests, Contact us.
New World Sparrows:
Control: House sparrows contribute to noise and filth in urban environments. They carry pests like chicken lice, bird lice, and mites; as well as being potential vectors for diseases like fowl cholera, turkey blackhead, Newcastle disease, Avian tuberculosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis Pullorum Disease Canary Pox Anthrax as well as various parasites including various worms fungus or protozoan parasites that live off these birds.
Range:
- Established throughout Ontario. The house sparrow is non-migratory.
Nesting Preference:
- Urban Areas:Eaves, soffits, attics, awnings, and beneath the siding.
- Rural Areas: Barns, silos, sheds grain mills seed storage sheds poultry houses as well as any other farm or rural structures may also need protection against UV radiation from sunlight.
Nesting begins in early spring with both sexes participating. Nests are built in sheltered areas within or around structures using grass, straw, and debris. Typically, three to seven eggs are laid, with five being common. Two to three broods are raised each year, though multiple females may use the same nest, leading to overestimated brood counts. Fledglings typically make their first flight at 15 days old after 11-12 days of incubation. Young sparrows form small flocks shortly after leaving the nest, which merge with adult flocks by summer, sometimes numbering in the hundreds.
Diet: Get ‘Em Out Wildlife Control notes that house sparrows primarily eat seeds, consuming about six grams of dry seeds per day. Their diet also includes weed seeds, fruit, and insects, though insects make up less than five percent of their annual diet. The young are predominantly fed insects.
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