House Sparrow

Do house sparrows really have more neck vertebrae than giraffes? I read this factoid in an Edwin Way Teale book, but I don't really have any verification for it.   A quick search of the Internet revealed that giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans (seven), just bigger ones, so this informational tidbit about sparrows may not be as surprising as it first seems.  One website states that sparrows have nine vertebrae, which may give them quite some neck flexibility, but it's really nothing compared to the twenty-three vertebrae of the swan.  But since Laramie is lacking a swan population, I am going to blog about the ubiquitous house sparrow.

Laramie in January is filled with the twitterings of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus.  Introduced from Europe, they have become some of the most common birds across the lower 48, and are quite adaptable to city life.  If you see little brown birds (or LBJs as I heard a birder refer to any 'little brown job') at a picnic area or in a town park, they are likely to be these English house sparrows.

This time of year, they seem to like to congregate in large flocks and take up residence in hedges or lilac bushes all over town.  They make a lot of commotion for such little birds and always seem to be hopping about.

Interestingly, in reference to my previous blog, the domestic cat is responsible for 30% of house sparrow mortality, according to Wikipedia.  I hope Gangle Cat leaves these little guys alone.

My best photos of house sparrows are all of the males, since they are the most distinctive in coloring.  I must remember to take some pictures of the ladies as they are piggishly devouring all of my birdseed.