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What the sources say

House SparrowPasser domesticus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the House Sparrow profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 42 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021

Passer domesticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T103818789A199147773.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).
The page saysThe IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Passer domesticus, house sparrow. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysFarms, villages and towns; native to Eurasia and North Africa and introduced on other continents
The source saysIt is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It was introduced into S. Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and America.Note: stats.habitat; farms and residential/urban areas: House Sparrows like areas that have been modified by humans, including farms, residential, and urban areas.
The page saysSeeds and grain, plus some insects
The source saysHouse Sparrows eat various kinds of seed supplemented by some insects.Note: stats.diet
The page saysA group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York, in 1851
The source saysIts introduction into North America occured in 1851, when a group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York.
The page saysMales have white cheeks and a black bib. Females do not.
The source saysMales have white cheeks and a black bib, while females do not.
The page saysThe species is native to Eurasia and North Africa.
The source saysIt is native to Eurasia and North Africa.
The page saysPeople have taken it to South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and America.
The source saysIt was introduced into S. Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and America.
The page saysIt likes places changed by people: farms, homes and cities.
The source saysHouse Sparrows like areas that have been modified by humans, including farms, residential, and urban areas.
The page saysIt is absent from uninhabited woodlands, deserts, forests and grasslands.
The source saysThey are absent from uninhabited woodlands, deserts, forests, and grasslands.
The page saysHouse sparrows eat many kinds of seed, plus some insects.
The source saysHouse Sparrows eat various kinds of seed supplemented by some insects.
The page saysRural birds eat more waste seed from animal dung and fields. Urban birds eat more birdseed and weed seed.
The source saysRural birds tend to eat more waste seed from animal dung and seed from fields, while urban birds tend to eat more commercial birdseed and weed seed.
The page saysThey nest in crevices in and on buildings, and in trees.
The source saysHouse Sparrows nest in crevices inside and on buildings, and in coniferous and deciduous trees.
The page saysBoth parents feed the chicks by regurgitation
The source saysboth males and females feed the young through regurgitation.
The page saysSparrows also defend a small territory around the nest site, and they have been seen threatening, and if necessary attacking, birds of 70 other species that come into it.
The source saysHouse Sparrows aggressively protect a small teritorry just around their nesting site. ... Sparrows have been observed to threaten, and if necessary, attack 70 species of birds that have come into their nesting territory.
The page saysSparrows avoid predators by foraging in small flocks, so many eyes watch for predators such as hawks and owls.
The source saysMany hawks and owls hunt and feed on house sparrows. ... House sparrows avoid predation by foraging in small flocks so that there are many eyes watching out for potential predators.
The page saysNo. It comes from Eurasia and North Africa.
The source saysIt is native to Eurasia and North Africa.
The page saysThe first birds in the United States were released in Brooklyn, New York, in 1851
The source saysIts introduction into North America occured in 1851, when a group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York.
The page saysat first they were fed and shielded from predators
The source saysWhen first introduced into the United States in 1851, house sparrows were protected from predators and fed.
The page saysAbout 100 house sparrows released in Brooklyn in 1851
The source saysIts introduction into North America occured in 1851, when a group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York.Note: vibe.reason animal clause, same source as the body claim "A group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, "

Source
03

BirdFacts, British Trust for Ornithology

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus. BirdFacts, British Trust for Ornithology.

The page saysLive adults weighed by BTO average 27.3 g
The source saysAll adults 27.3±3.9 g (24.2-30.7 g, N=13060)Note: BTO biometrics are from live birds ringed in Britain & Ireland BTO: 'Wing length and body weights are from live birds'.
The page says77.1 mm wings
The source saysAll adults 77.1±2.4 mm (73-81 mm, N=15876)Note: wing length
The page saysA typical clutch is four or five eggs
The source saysClutch Size Typical number 4-5 eggs
The page sayslaid in two or three broods a year in Britain
The source saysTypical (exceptional) number of broods 2-3(4)Note: BTO ringing and nest recording data are for Britain & Ireland
The page saysA sparrow that reaches breeding age typically lives about 3 years
The source saysTypical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 3 years with breeding typically at 1 year
The page saysthe oldest ringed bird on BTO's records reached 12 years and 12 days
The source saysMaximum age from a ringed bird 12 years, 12 days (set in 1978)
The page saysin the UK it has been on the national Red List of birds since 2002
The source saysNow the species is in decline and has been on the UK Red List since 2002.
The page saysits numbers have fallen since the mid-1970s
The source saysThe species has declined in the UK since the mid-1970s, with losses most notable in the south and east.
The page saysOn farmland, tidier farmyards and more intensive farming left less winter seed, and fewer first-year birds survived.
The source saysOn farmland, changes in farming practices due to intensification of agriculture and the tidying of farmyards have reduced the seed available to farmland populations of House Sparrows during winter, which has resulted in a reduction in survival rates ( Siriwardena et al. 1999 , Chamberlain et al. 2007 , Hole 2001 ), specifically of first-year birds
The page saysBTO puts the UK breeding population at about 5 million pairs, and it fell 18% between 1995 and 2024.
The source saysBreeding Winter Population Change 18% decrease 1995 to 2024 Population Size 5m pairsNote: BTO's breeding column is the first of the pair; the winter column reads No data; scope is the UK
The page saysweightKg: 0.027
The source saysAll adults 27.3±3.9 gNote: #998; name guess put it Light

Source
04

Johnston & Selander 1964

Johnston & Selander (1964). House Sparrows: Rapid Evolution of Races in North America. Science.

The page saysA plain brown bird that developed regional differences in color and size in North America.
The source saysConspicuous adaptive differentiation in color and size has occurred in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century.Note: tagline; 'within decades' from the 50-year line: Racial differentiation of house sparrow populations may require no more than 50 years.
The page saysEvolving regional differences in color and size in new lands
The source saysConspicuous adaptive differentiation in color and size has occurred in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysSince then North American sparrows have changed in color and size
The source saysConspicuous adaptive differentiation in color and size has occurred in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century.
The page saysSince its introduction in the middle of the 19th century, the sparrow has shown clear adaptive differences in color and size in North America and Hawaii
The source saysConspicuous adaptive differentiation in color and size has occurred in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century.
The page saysIts patterns of variation parallel those of native species that have several races
The source saysPatterns of geographic variation in North America parallel those shown by native polytypic species
The page saysResearchers wrote that racial differentiation may need no more than 50 years
The source saysRacial differentiation of house sparrow populations may require no more than 50 years.
The page saysleft North American descendants that developed differences in color and size from place to place
The source saysConspicuous adaptive differentiation in color and size has occurred in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction in the middle of the 19th century.Note: vibe.reason animal clause, same source as the body claim "A plain brown bird that developed regional differences in co"

Source
05

Martin, Scheuerlein & Wikelski 2003

Martin, Scheuerlein & Wikelski (2003). Immune activity elevates energy expenditure of house sparrows: a link between direct and indirect costs? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysresearchers switched on part of the immune system of house sparrows with an injection of a harmless stimulant, not a germ
The source saysexperimental induction of the immune system with a non-pathological stimulant ... We injected phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), a commonly used mitogen that activates the cell-mediated immune response, into the wing web of house sparrows, Passer domesticus.
The page saysTheir resting metabolic rate rose
The source saysWe found that PHA injection significantly elevated resting metabolic rate (RMR) of challenged sparrows relative to saline controls.
The page saysof about 4.20 kJ a day, or 29% of resting metabolic rate
The source saysWe calculated the total cost of this immune activity to be ca. 4.20 kJ per day (29% RMR)
The page saysThat equals the cost of making half an egg.
The source sayswhich is equivalent to the cost of production of half of an egg (8.23 kJ egg(-1)) in this species

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.