Sparrow

SPARROWS IN HISTORY

Native to Europe and Asia, the sparrow has traveled with humans to become the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet.

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Sparrows were associated by the ancient Greeks with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, due to their perceived lustfulness, an association echoed by later writers such as Shakespeare.

Jesus Christ used the "sparrow" as an example of divine providence "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29–31). This inspired later references, such as that in the early 20th century Gospel song "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

During the awakening, Charles Wesley's most popular hymn was "Jesus Lover of my Soul", which was inspired by Wesley seeing through an open window a small bird pursued by a large hawk. Through the window fluttered the frightened sparrow into Wesley's arms.

Here is a list of songs about sparrows.

The romantic poet John Keats was very empathetic with animals. He once boasted about his capacity to enter the thought processes of a sparrow hopping on a window sill. "If a sparrow comes before my window, I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel."

Queen Victoria once asked the Duke of Wellington how to remove sparrows from Crystal Palace. He replied, ‘Sparrowhawks, Ma’am.’

The house sparrow was introduced deliberately to America in the late 19th century. It was imported by several people, including Eugene Schieffelin from New York City. He belonged to the American Acclimatization Society a group that aimed to help exchange plants and animals from one part of the world to another and wanted to introduce to America all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.

A male House Sparrow in Victoria, Australia in March 2008. By Fir0002

Before becoming Elvis Presley's notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker used to paint sparrows yellow and sell them as canaries.

Under Chairman Mao, every Chinese family was obliged to kill a sparrow a week to stop them eating all the rice. The project was totally ineffective because sparrows don’t eat rice and instead the culling of the birds upset the ecological balance leaving the crop-eating insects alive to gobble away the staple human food.

The number of house sparrows fell by 64 per cent between 1972 and 1996, an estimated loss of 9.6 million birds. They were once so common that trophies were offered for the most birds culled.

In Australia, there are no sparrows in Western Australia, as they have not been able to travel across the deserts that separate that state from the eastern states. The government employs people to hunt and destroy any sparrows that might arrive.

ANATOMY 

With brown-black marked plumage and black chest and eye-stripe in the male the sparrow is relatively inconspicuous.

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The sparrow is between 11.4 centimetres (4.5 in) and 18 centimetres (7.1 in) long  and can weigh between 13.4 grams (0.47 oz) and 42 grams (1.5 oz).

They have short tails and stubby, powerful beaks.

A Sparrow has 14 bones in its neck — twice as many as humans.

BEHAVIOR 

Sparrows are generally social birds, with many species breeding in loose colonies and most species occurring in flocks during the non-breeding season.

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A study revealed that male sparrows can judge if a spouse is prone to infidelity, providing less food for their brood if their partner is unfaithful.

Intelligent and adaptable, the sparrow has a cheery chirp.

The sparrow has untidy nesting habits often making their nests near houses or buildings.

They are primarily seed-eaters, though they also consume small insects.

Sparrows are quick to learn new feeding habits, soon adapting to taking food from suspended nut feeders.

Source Daily Mail