The Purple Martin Site
martin silhouette

What is an English Sparrow?

The English sparrow and the house sparrow are the same bird.

This is an imported species which has become very successful in North America -- to the detriment of many, valued song birds here.

The Peterson A Field Guide To The Birds describes the house sparrow this way:

  • Field Marks:-- 5 - 6 1/2. A species with which everybody is familiar. City birds are usually so sooty that more than one beginner has thought he had discovered something good when he first saw a clean country male with its black throat, white cheeks, and chestnut nape. Females are dull brown above and dingy white below without distinctive marks.
  • Range:-- Distributed widely about civilization; about cities, towns, and farms throughout the United States and Canada.