English sparrow

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English sparrow

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

house′ spar`row

a hardy brown and gray songbird, Passer domesticus, native to Eurasia: now common in much of the world near human habitation.

Also called English sparrow.

[1665–75]

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Noun

English sparrow - small hardy brown-and-grey bird native to Europe

house sparrow, Passer domesticus

sparrow, true sparrow - any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

genus Passer, Passer - type genus of the Passeridae

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Historically, the Eastern Bluebird, a bird of open fields and countryside, has lived in harmony with people, but until recently this bird was in peril, due to loss of habitat, widespread use of pesticides, and the introduction of the English Sparrow and the Starling, which competed with bluebirds for nesting sites.

Wishing you bluebirds: invite these beautiful garden friends with bluebird houses and berry-laden bushes

I followed that experiment using ingredients ranging from an English sparrow to the back leg of a groundhog, but each attempt resulted in hunks of desiccated flesh that looked like those pieces of shredded tire you see along the highway.

Meat on a stick: Jeremiah Johnson was only partially right when it comes to culinary delights afield

One of the first extensive reports to emanate from the new section was The English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America, Especially in its Relation to Agriculture (1889).

THE IRISHMEN OF BIRDS

The second reason is the introduction of European species, such as the English sparrow and starlings, which preempted many of their former nesting sites.

How to establish a bluebird trail

I'd never say the bluebird has disappeared from the east, the starling has driven him out; I'd never turn to the starling and the English sparrow and hate them for their stubbornness--how could I as a Jew?--I'd never say the pigeon is our greatest pest; how could I who came from New York City myself.?

Birthday

The house sparrow, also known as the English sparrow, was imported from England by Nicholas Pike.