Common House Sparrow

Passer Domesticus

Appearance Male House Sparrows are 14 to 16 centimetres long, have a grey crown, cheeks and under parts. Black on the throat, upper breast and between the bill and eyes. The bill in summer is blue-black, and the legs are brown. In winter the plumage is dulled by pale edgings, and the bill is yellowish brown. Female's don't a grey crown or any black on the head or throat. The upperparts are streaked with brown. Juveniles are deeper brown, and the white is replaced by buff. Beaks are dull yellow. Lifecycle Sparrows are usually found in large numbers around human habitation such as in cities, towns, villages and farms, it can be the most abundant bird.

House sparrows are non-migratory and abundant in temperate climates. Nests are built from March to August and are made from dried plants, feathers and found objects. Females lay up to 3 clutches per year, with up to 7 eggs per clutch. Both parents incubate the eggs for 10-13 days and feed the young. Young fledge 14-17 days after hatching.

Habits

Sparrows will eat a wide range of arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, butterflies and moths, grasshoppers and spiders. They also feed on flowers, grass and weed seeds and commercial bird seed. The young are fed on insect larvae.

Disease

House Sparrows are known to carry 29 diseases that affect both humans and domestic animals. These include pullorum, paramyxovirus infection and paratyphoid disease.

Toxoplasmosis - (Toxoplasma dondi) is an infection that invades human tissue and can severely damage the central nervous system, especially in babies. Pregnant women are in extreme danger if infected. Toxoplasmosis occurs in humans usually as low-grade fever or muscle pain for a few days. A normal immune system will suppress the infection but the tissue cysts can persist in the host for many years. In immunocompromised individuals, those dormant cysts can be reactivated and cause many lesions in the brain, heart, lungs, eyes, etc. Without a competent immune system, the animal or human will most likely die from the infection. The disease can spread by contact with infected feces.

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract of animals and humans, caused by coccidian protozoa. The disease spreads by contact with infected feces, or ingestion of infected tissue. Diarrhea, which may become bloody in severe cases, is the primary symptom. Coccidian organisms are usually species-specific. One well-known exception is toxoplasmosis.

Newcastle disease Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is highly contagious. Transmission occurs by exposure to faecal and other excretions from infected birds, and through contact with contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing. Exposure of humans to infected birds can cause mild influenza-like symptoms and conjunctivitis.

Newcastle disease Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is highly contagious. Transmission occurs by exposure to faecal and other excretions from infected birds, and through contact with contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing. Exposure of humans to infected birds can cause mild influenza-like symptoms and conjunctivitis, an abnormal eye discharge due to inflammation of the membrane lining the inside of the eyelid. The infection can also cause nasal discharge, sneezing, and pneumonia. Left untreated, the infection tends to become chronic, lasting weeks or months.

Borreliosis - Lyme Disease - Caused by the bacteria Borrelia recurrentis and several other borrelia strains spread from wild rodents by deer ticks or lice. Lyme disease can attack the skin, heart and nervous system and cause swelling to the brain and spinal cord resulting in paralysis and blindness. The early symptoms can be similar to severe flu and often it's wrongly diagnosed. Incubation is from 1-15 days. Symptoms include the sudden onset of fever lasting for 3-5 days, ends with a crisis. Then a febrile period of 2-4 days is followed by one to ten or more recurrences of fever accompanied by severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice and sometimes a macular rash with bleeding due to thrombocytopenia. Many lesions occur, including enlarged, soft, infarcted spleen, hepatomegaly, hemorrhages in bone marrow and skin, myocarditis, bronchopneumonia, and meningitis. Cranial nerve involvement is possible. Also flu like symptoms, which resolve in about three weeks. 8-10% of people develop cardiac problems several weeks later.

Manifestations include atrioventricular block, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, myocarditis, and pancarditis. 15% develop neurologic disorders such as facial nerve palsies which usually resolve. Other manifestations include meningitis, cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis, neuropathy, and encephalopathy. 60% develop arthritis which may remain latent with symptoms developing 4 years later. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.

Salmonellosis Most people infected with the Salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps 6 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts 3 to 7 days.

Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, commonly caused by a bacterial infection such as toxoplasmosis. Brain damage occurs as the inflamed brain pushes against the skull, and can lead to death. Adult patients with encephalitis may experience an acute onset of fever, headache, confusion, and sometimes seizures. Younger children or infants may show irritability, anorexia and fever.

Erysipeloid - An infection may be caught through a scratch on the skin from direct contact with an infected bird. The organism may spread in the body via the vascular system to the joints, heart, brain and lungs. The organ most commonly affected other than the skin is the heart. A systemic infection may result in sepsis (blood poisoning) that can result in death.

Transmissible Gastroenteritis is a catchall term for infection or irritation of the digestive tract, particularly the stomach and intestine. It arises from the ingestion of viruses, certain bacteria or parasites. Major symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pains. Sufferers may also experience bloating, low fever, and overall tiredness. Typically, the symptoms last only two to three days, but some viruses may last up to a week. Children are most vulnerable.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially fatal contagious disease that can affect almost any part of the body but is mainly an infection of the lungs. It is caused by the bacteria tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When someone with TB coughs or sneezes, droplets containing the TB bacteria fill the air. Someone who inhales the droplets can get TB. Symptoms of active TB include weight loss, night sweats and loss of appetite. Symptoms of chronic TB are more serious. They may include coughing, chest pain and blood in (sputum) the mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways.

Vibriosis is an infection by a genus of bacteria known as Vibrio. These bacteria damage the inner wall of the intestine. Symptoms last for two to 10 days and include watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, and possibly fever. Symptoms of a blood infection develop after one to two days, and include fever, chills, low blood pressure, and large fluid-filled blisters on the arms or legs. Blood poisoning will lead to death in many cases.

Yersinosis is an infection by a genus of bacteria known as Yersinia, which produces several different types of disease after an incubation period of one to eleven days. An inflammation of the intestine results in gastroenteritis, with cramping abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea which may last for two weeks or so, but can go on for many months. Yersinia may also produce an inflammation of the throat (pharyngitis) and tonsillitis. Septicemia may also occur, with spreading of infection to other organs such as bone, joints, eyes, urinary system and kidneys. Symptoms can be very severe, resulting in death.

Internal parasites include acariasis, schistosomiasis, taeniasis, and trichomoniasis

Household pests carried by House Sparrows include bed bugs, carpet beetles, clothes moths, fleas, lice, mites, and ticks.