House Sparrow

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a compact sparrow with a thick bill; males have bold black, white and chestnut markings while females and young are pale brown and grey. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is strongly associated with human habitation across its vast native and introduced range, feeding on seeds, scraps and insects around farms and towns and nesting in cavities in buildings or other structures. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).