Kennedy Wild Bird Food Guide To The House Sparrow

The House sparrow, with its steel grey head and rich brown and black feathers is easy to spot within the UK wildlife. They are known as one of the most sociable (and noisiest) breeds of UK birds and are often seen hopping around our gardens. They are not particular about their habitats and have often been seen in big cities, to rural farmlands!

What does a house sparrow look like?

As mentioned above, the male house sparrow is distinguishable by the steel grey feathers on the top of its head and its brown and black striped bodies. They also have a grey beak, with a bright white circle on either side of its head. The females, like many other breeds of bird, are much less decorated, sporting simple brown feathers and a yellow beak.

Male House Sparrow	Female House Sparrow

What do house sparrows eat?

When it comes to food  the options are fairly broad. House sparrows live in a mix of different types of environments, so their diets can vary. However, they will mostly feed on seeds and love sunflower seeds! As well as sunflower seeds, house sparrows also love to eat millet. You could always use a mix of regular wild bird food, but these two seeds are a sure fire way to attract house sparrows to your garden!

What does a house sparrow sound like?

The house sparrow has a distinctive chirp, that is high pitched and comes in short bursts. It is a song that you may be familiar with day-today, but you may be unaware of which bird it belongs to! Click here to listen

Where can you spot them?

As mentioned above, this bird can be found in both rural and urban areas. Due to their love of nesting inside buildings and outhouses, they can be found in many built-up areas. They are one of the UK's most common wild bird, but they can also be found in many other countries around the world, including the United States and Argentina! We need help finding more house sparrows in the UK, so head on over to our Kennedy BirdSpotter app and log your house sparrow sightings!

Where do house sparrows nest?

They love to keep dry and warm, which is why you can often find these nests hidden away in the roof of our home, sheds or anywhere that is under cover. Like most birds, the house sparrow likes to create their nests out of natural grass and straw, but they are also hoarders and will also use man-made products and any other materials they can find! Want to stop house sparrows nesting in your roof or loft, but still want to provide them with a safe place to live? Why not check out our Kennedy sparrow nest boxes? Perfect for those looking to help out their local house sparrows, but not at the cost of repairing their roof!