The most straightforward answer to that question is no.
Pretty much all house sparrows prefer to remain in one location and live a very sedentary life. In effect, they do not tend to move around very much and they can remain in the same place throughout the year.
House sparrows often remain within one to two km of where they are born.
Of the very limited migration that occurs, it is the younger birds, particularly those that inhabit coastlines, being tempted to fly long distances. Mountain birds that have nested high between the rocks often choose to descend to a lower elevation during the winter.
The House Sparrow
Sparrows are little endearing, ubiquitous brown birds. The House Sparrow is the most abundant widespread birds in the world. The females are colored dingy brown and grey, while the males have brighter black, white cheeks, and chestnut nape markings. They are very sociable birds, and their lifespan is typically up to three years.
House Sparrows make a very distinctive chirping sound that echoes a long way. They mainly eat small plants like weeds, seeds, suet, berries, and shoots, they also consume invertebrates such as insects, and also scraps (human food wastes) which are some of the House Sparrow birds’ favourite.
The House Sparrow’s predator is the Sparrow Hawk, Tawny Owls, they are also threatened by Cats and Dogs, Raccoons, and Snakes according to the part of the world where it lives.
Staying Put
All birds need food, water, shelter, and nesting sites. During the winter season, it becomes increasingly harder to find food as plants go dormant and water supplies also freeze. But not all birds migrate during the cold winter season. The House Sparrows are in this category.
The House Sparrows are not migratory birds, so they stay in one area throughout the year in small colonies that is; a group of birds that live together and are dependent on each other. They sometimes wander during the non-breeding season in search of food while during the breeding season, they join in pairs, but otherwise are found in family groups and flocks.
That is in summer, they nest in close association with other pairs, while in winter they flock together.
Where Sparrows Migrate in winter?
The House Sparrows are associated with human habitation. Their association with humans is thought to date back around 10,000 years ago.
In winter, House Sparrows build specially made roost nests or roost in street lights, to avoid losing heat during the winter season. House Sparrows aggressively defend their nest sites. If you would like to feed House Sparrows in winter, a mix of seeds like sunflower seeds, millet, or corn will attract them.
You could also offer them some water to drink and an area to dust-bathe in spring. You could also provide them with additional nesting space using a nest box.
Any port in a storm
Sparrows can be found everywhere because wherever humans have settled, eventually the Sparrows follow. House sparrows thrive on the food and shelter humans provide, and they prefer to live anywhere there are people.
The House Sparrow has a habit of nesting in buildings nooks and crannies like barns, factories, warehouses, large stores, packing nesting materials into stoves, dryers, and fan vents or inside roof spaces, entering through holes under the eaves.
They occasionally nest among bushes or tree branches or in vines as well. They also like to nest in dense undergrowth, the sparrow has adapted perfectly to finding places of safety to sleep in when the weather is being unkind.
The nest is a domed structure of feathers, strings, straws, or any usable material the bird can find. In winter, the House Sparrow uses its nest for resting in the day and roosting at night.
House Sparrows also threaten many other species of birds for nesting sites like the Swallows, Bluebirds, and Purple Martins. Once a pair has built a nest, they will defend their nesting territory aggressively against the other species of birds.
In conclusion, it is a no-brainer that House Sparrows thrive living near people and benefit from almost everything that humans provide. House sparrows don’t usually migrate, but they move around in flocks, usually within the area they hatched.
