Ted R. Anderson is Emeritus Professor of Biology at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois.

Simply put, if you have any interest in the biology of this quintessential 'little brown bird', still an enigma in many ways, then Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow is an absolute must.

• 1: TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION The Genus passer The Origin of P. Domesticus Passer domesticus Distribution of the House Sparrow Range Expansion in the House Sparrow 2: EVOLUTION AND GENETICS Professor Bumpus and His Sparrows Natural Selection in Introduced Sparrows Genetics of the House Sparrow 3: ANNUAL CYCLE The Gonadal Cycle Circadian Rhythmicity 4: BREEDING BIOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY Age at First Reproduction Mating System Timing of Breeding Nest Sites and Nests Egg Laying and Clutch Size Egg size and Composition Incubation and Hatching Nestling Growth and Survival Number of Broods and Cessation of Breeding Reproductive Lifespan Captive Breeding 5: PLUMAGES AND MOLT Plumage Description Pterylosis Molt Ptilochronology Plumage Maintenance Incubation Patch Badge Size in Males 6: FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND FOOD Foraging Strategy of the House Sparrow Diet of the House Sparrow 7: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND VOCALIZATIONS Vocalizations Displays Communal Roosting 8: POPULATION DYNAMICS AND MOVEMENTS Decline in House Sparrow Numbers Predation Parasitism and Disease Interspecific Competition Changes in Agricultural Practices Survival Rates The Sex Ratio Conundrum Movements Where Have All the Sparrows Gone? 9: ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Integrumentary System Skeletal System Muscular System Nervous System Endocrine System Circulatory System Respiratory System Digestive System Excretory System Reproductive System Body Mass and Composition 10: HUMAN COMMENSALISM AND PEST MANAGEMENT Obligate Commensal? Pest Status Pest Management Positive Impacts of Sparrows Sociology of Sparrows Appendix Literature Cited Index

Ted R. Anderson is Emeritus Professor of Biology at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois.

Simply put, if you have any interest in the biology of this quintessential 'little brown bird', still an enigma in many ways, then Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow is an absolute must.

• 1: TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION The Genus passer The Origin of P. Domesticus Passer domesticus Distribution of the House Sparrow Range Expansion in the House Sparrow 2: EVOLUTION AND GENETICS Professor Bumpus and His Sparrows Natural Selection in Introduced Sparrows Genetics of the House Sparrow 3: ANNUAL CYCLE The Gonadal Cycle Circadian Rhythmicity 4: BREEDING BIOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY Age at First Reproduction Mating System Timing of Breeding Nest Sites and Nests Egg Laying and Clutch Size Egg size and Composition Incubation and Hatching Nestling Growth and Survival Number of Broods and Cessation of Breeding Reproductive Lifespan Captive Breeding 5: PLUMAGES AND MOLT Plumage Description Pterylosis Molt Ptilochronology Plumage Maintenance Incubation Patch Badge Size in Males 6: FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND FOOD Foraging Strategy of the House Sparrow Diet of the House Sparrow 7: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND VOCALIZATIONS Vocalizations Displays Communal Roosting 8: POPULATION DYNAMICS AND MOVEMENTS Decline in House Sparrow Numbers Predation Parasitism and Disease Interspecific Competition Changes in Agricultural Practices Survival Rates The Sex Ratio Conundrum Movements Where Have All the Sparrows Gone? 9: ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Integrumentary System Skeletal System Muscular System Nervous System Endocrine System Circulatory System Respiratory System Digestive System Excretory System Reproductive System Body Mass and Composition 10: HUMAN COMMENSALISM AND PEST MANAGEMENT Obligate Commensal? Pest Status Pest Management Positive Impacts of Sparrows Sociology of Sparrows Appendix Literature Cited Index

Ted R. Anderson is Emeritus Professor of Biology at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois.

Simply put, if you have any interest in the biology of this quintessential 'little brown bird', still an enigma in many ways, then Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow is an absolute must.

• 1: TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION The Genus passer The Origin of P. Domesticus Passer domesticus Distribution of the House Sparrow Range Expansion in the House Sparrow 2: EVOLUTION AND GENETICS Professor Bumpus and His Sparrows Natural Selection in Introduced Sparrows Genetics of the House Sparrow 3: ANNUAL CYCLE The Gonadal Cycle Circadian Rhythmicity 4: BREEDING BIOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY Age at First Reproduction Mating System Timing of Breeding Nest Sites and Nests Egg Laying and Clutch Size Egg size and Composition Incubation and Hatching Nestling Growth and Survival Number of Broods and Cessation of Breeding Reproductive Lifespan Captive Breeding 5: PLUMAGES AND MOLT Plumage Description Pterylosis Molt Ptilochronology Plumage Maintenance Incubation Patch Badge Size in Males 6: FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND FOOD Foraging Strategy of the House Sparrow Diet of the House Sparrow 7: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND VOCALIZATIONS Vocalizations Displays Communal Roosting 8: POPULATION DYNAMICS AND MOVEMENTS Decline in House Sparrow Numbers Predation Parasitism and Disease Interspecific Competition Changes in Agricultural Practices Survival Rates The Sex Ratio Conundrum Movements Where Have All the Sparrows Gone? 9: ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Integrumentary System Skeletal System Muscular System Nervous System Endocrine System Circulatory System Respiratory System Digestive System Excretory System Reproductive System Body Mass and Composition 10: HUMAN COMMENSALISM AND PEST MANAGEMENT Obligate Commensal? Pest Status Pest Management Positive Impacts of Sparrows Sociology of Sparrows Appendix Literature Cited Index