The Sparrow, from the genus Passer, also known as the true sparrow, the genus includes the house sparrow and the eurasian tree sparrow (these are the 2 most common). You can find them worldwide, they are referred to as the Old World sparrows (Passeridae) which include over 40 species spread throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is the most well-known bird of this family. The New World sparrows of North America, South America and the Caribbean make up the Passerllidea family, there are more than 140 species in this diverse family.
There are many common traits to this diverse community of sparrows such as their size, most are between 5-7 inches (10-17 cm). They all have the classic songbird appearance of a deep chest and a medium length or long tail. Sparrows eat seeds and grain so their bills are short thick conical shapes that easily crack tough seeds open. These birds are well camouflaged with mottled plumage of brown, black, grey and beige tones.
Sparrows can fly at speeds of 21 mph and even get up to 31 mph (38.5 km/hr-50 km/h) when in danger. They can live 4-5 years in the wild, the oldest sparrow on record lived for 15 years 9 months.
Males and females can be easily distinguished by the feather coloration. Males have reddish back and and a black bib and the females have brown backs with stripes. The rise 3 broods of 3-5 eggs, both females and males help to incubate the eggs for 12-15 days.
Sparrows are not found in forests or deserts, unlike other birds, it prefers being in close association to humans. Including urban and rural areas, an ideal habitat is nesting on buildings, roofs and houses. Once found in huge numbers across the world, the small bird is slowly making its way onto the endangered list.
House sparrows have the ability of swimming underwater even though they are not water birds. They can actually swim underwater to move from one place to another. The house sparrow when nervous flick their tails to ease out the tension. Sparrows have contributed to science in a significant way. Approximately 5000 research papers have been published with these little birds as study species.
In folklore the sparrow symbolizes in todays culture joy, community, teamwork, protection, simplicity, hard work and self worth. During the middle ages they symbolized peasants and the lower class, in Celtic tradition sparrows were thought to be keepers of ancestral knowledge.
The sparrow is a symbol of loyalty in Japan, because it has a friendly nature and its ability to live in a group. If a sparrow flies into your house in Indonesia, it is believed by some that a member of the household will soon marry or give birth. In China some say it indicates that good luck is on its way.
A sparrow tattoo can have a variety of meanings or none at all. Sailors would get traditional sparrow tattoos in hope that their souls would be taken to heaven if they died at sea. Many get sparrow tattoos to memorialize a loved one who has passed away.
Greek mythology sparrows were considered a symbol of love. It was the sacred bird of Aphrodite the goddess of love. Ancient Egyptians believed sparrows would catch the souls of the recently deceased and carry them to heaven. The ancient Egyptians had a hieroglyph that represents the house sparrow.
Sparrows have been represented in literature throughout history, from the ancient Greeks and Roman pomes to religious texts to Chaucer and Shakespeare. They are still used in todays literature and represent soul catchers in horror stories and poetry.
So now you know the long history and folklore of the beautiful little sparrow, it is always nearby. It is the first song you hear in spring, you will always see them in small flocks and most of all they love my ornamental maple tree (which looks like a bush) in my front yard.
Internet Sources that contributed to my story:
- www.everythingbirds.com/articles/all-about-sparrows
- www.oneindia.com/feature/world-sparrow-day-little-known-facts-about-sparrows-that-will-suprise-you
- www.owlcation.com/social-science/the-meaning-of-sparrows
Thank you for reading about this small but mighty bird and I hope you enjoyed learning about them as I enjoyed writing about the sparrow. "So don't be afraid you are worth more than many sparrows" Matthew 10:31
All photos were taken by me with my Cannon EOS Rebel T2i from my front porch.
Please forgive me, it was not my intention to leave sources out. This breaks my heart that I did and I feel very disappointed in myself for doing so.
You fixed it, that's all that matters and it is a great post! No worries! You did a lot of research and spent time creating a lovely post!
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thank you for your support it really means a lot 😊
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all new and old users make this mistake is really normal to happen and not something to be really worry about the watchers just need to learn to communicate and teach new users before leaving a downvote but oh well they cant be perfect so....
this was a well made and lovely post also congrats on your first downvote on the blockchain! now you can truly say you have live the Hive experience! lol
Thanks for your words of encouragement, I really appreciate them.
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STOPFunny guys
very nice captures you made of the sparrows
We appreciate your work and your post was manually curated by @barbara-orenya from the DNA team!
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thank you!
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