House Sparrow
House Sparrow has collapsed: down 82% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the House Sparrow
An Old World species introduced in the 1850s, the House Sparrow is a stout, sociable bird tied closely to people, farms and city streets across the continent.
- Size
- 6.5 in long, about 1 oz (16 cm, 28 g)
- Habitat
- A broad range of open and wooded habitats, often near people.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain and scraps, with insects for the young.
- Range
- Recorded on 3,496 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 49 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Passeridae · Generalists
- Conservation
- Least Concern (introduced)
Notable House Sparrow Trends
House Sparrow has collapsed in surveyed states: down 82% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
House Sparrow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, House Sparrow is projected to fall about 100% by 2029 — from 15 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.00 (95% range 0.00–13). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±102.4%, with 20% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.41 | 0.00 | 14 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13 |
Where the House Sparrow Is Detected
BBS routes recording House Sparrow, sized by most recent count.
House Sparrow Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -95% | 1968 | 97 |
| Alaska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Arizona | -64% | 1970 | 71 |
| Arkansas | -90% | 1969 | 53 |
| California | -55% | 1970 | 204 |
| Colorado | -76% | 1970 | 109 |
| Connecticut | -30% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | -81% | 1968 | 17 |
| Florida | -86% | 1968 | 89 |
| Georgia | -95% | 1968 | 88 |
| Idaho | -74% | 1970 | 40 |
| Illinois | -82% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | -80% | 1968 | 68 |
| Iowa | -67% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | -82% | 1969 | 67 |
| Kentucky | -88% | 1968 | 63 |
| Louisiana | -86% | 1969 | 88 |
| Maine | -52% | 1968 | 55 |
| Maryland | -80% | 1968 | 75 |
| Massachusetts | -30% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | -76% | 1968 | 94 |
| Minnesota | -67% | 1969 | 76 |
| Mississippi | -92% | 1968 | 60 |
| Missouri | -85% | 1969 | 95 |
| Montana | +52% | 1970 | 76 |
| Nebraska | -83% | 1969 | 68 |
| Nevada | +293% | 1970 | 32 |
| New Hampshire | -39% | 1968 | 23 |
| New Jersey | -66% | 1968 | 42 |
| New Mexico | -8% | 1970 | 76 |
| New York | -64% | 1968 | 123 |
| North Carolina | -91% | 1968 | 89 |
| North Dakota | -33% | 1969 | 50 |
| Ohio | -77% | 1968 | 88 |
| Oklahoma | -58% | 1969 | 65 |
| Oregon | -43% | 1970 | 82 |
| Pennsylvania | -72% | 1968 | 132 |
| Rhode Island | +85% | 1968 | 7 |
| South Carolina | -96% | 1968 | 41 |
| South Dakota | -58% | 1969 | 55 |
| Tennessee | -86% | 1968 | 47 |
| Texas | -85% | 1969 | 233 |
| Utah | -23% | 1970 | 55 |
| Vermont | -85% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | -94% | 1968 | 69 |
| Washington | -12% | 1970 | 82 |
| West Virginia | -89% | 1968 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | -73% | 1968 | 93 |
| Wyoming | +22% | 1970 | 76 |
House Sparrow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
House Sparrow Conservation Status
Least Concern (introduced)
A species introduced to North America; the IUCN Red List rates it as Least Concern in its native range. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 82% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.