Yes, they were brought to the Brooklyn, New York, USA, in 1851. They are native to Europe and Asia.
They write of pest species birds, but I find the House Sparrows are precious little critters. They are absent from heavily wooded areas, grasslands, and deserts, preferring to live in the vicinity of humans, most often I see them when we eat outside in city restaurants. They are ubiquitous in our local municipal parks. For an excellent
information piece by uCornell, click here.
They compete with house finches, and there are many 'pest' species that compete at feeders: grackles, starlings, pigeons, as well as the house sparrow. The more aggressive birds take it out on the less aggressive. I have noticed the chickadees being harassed by the blue jays, for example.
The crows are getting more aggressive at our feeder, as well.
Eating out is a whole new challenge when patrons feed them. Giving bread to birds is like giving them sugar.
Sparrow species:
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| chipping sparrow |
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| redpoll |
They are English SPARROWS (not related to North American sparrows but rather to African weavers) and were introduced 1850-52 from Europe to Brooklyn, NY, to control INSECT PESTS.
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| This little one was looking for food, too! |
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| crow |
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| grackle |
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| seagull |
