HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus), a bird char acterized by its attachment to human habitations; it destroys noxious insects, but in part counterbalances this by its ravages on crops. Its range extends to northern Scandinavia and Russia.
In the years 186o-66 more than 200 house sparrows (called, in America, English sparrows) were brought to New York, where they established themselves and began to spread. By 1928 the house sparrow had found its way to every State and much of Canada. The house sparrow was introduced by Sir W. Buller to New Zealand, to combat a plague of caterpillars. It was also introduced into Australia, and has multiplied immensely in both countries. The house sparrow is rapidly spreading eastward through Siberia, as cities multiply. It was introduced into Green land, but soon became extinct there. The closely allied tree spar row (P. montanus), distinguished by a brown cap, takes the place of the house sparrow in the cities, in part of Europe and Asia.