The House Sparrow Mating Habits
The House Sparrow is known to be monogamous when it comes to picking mates. They will spend the mating season looking for their preferred mate and then stick with each other for the rest of the breeding season. In fact, House Sparrows actually keep to the same mate for the rest of their lives. However, if a mate is lost, for whatever reason, during the breeding season, it could be replaced quite quickly. Courtship between House Sparrows usually starts as early as January and can continue on till the month of July.
What happens during courtship is that the male House Sparrow goes around and looks for a potential partner. He looks for a potential nesting site and hovers around the area. The male House Sparrow looking for a mate would then chirp around the nesting site, in the hopes of attracting a female House Sparrow. Each time a female House Sparrow wanders near the area, the male House Sparrow chirps even more loudly and quickly. Sometimes, when a female House Sparrow drops by and then starts hopping around (or away for that matter) the male House Sparrow would follow her. The male House Sparrow can even show “theatrics” by hopping around and quivering his wings so that the female would notice him even more. It is not uncommon to see several male House Sparrows engage in these activities while trying to catch the attention of a single female House Sparrow.
Once House Sparrows have found their mate, they will move on to the breeding cycle. This can start as early as March and end as late as August. Pairs mate near their nests. This can happen several times a day. The male House Sparrow is the one designated to defend the nesting site. Though there is no observed range which is considered by the House Sparrow as its territory, what has been observed is that the male House Sparrow defends the immediate area surrounding its nest – and it does so quite fiercely. This is one factor why the House Sparrow is considered by many (at least in North America and other places where they have been introduced) to be pesky, even to the point that they are considered pests. The House Sparrow is very adaptable and breeds easily and quickly. Add to that the fact that they defend their nests very fiercely and you can understand why some people think that way.
Related House- Sparrow Articles
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Click to learn more About The House Sparrow Feeding Preferences