Philly Plain Dealer

By no means am I an ornithologist, however I am an observant citizen of Philadelphia that recognized that there are a ton of tiny little brown birds everywhere you go in the city. From 2021 to 2024 I lived in Brooklyn, and by far walking the streets of New York, the most common animal I’d see were rats and New York is known for rats. 

But when I walk around Philadelphia, by far the most common form of wildlife I come across are these little tiny brown birds, which I’ve learned with time are House Sparrows. 

When you walk to your car in the morning to go to work, just look down. You’ll see them huddled along the curb eating trash, you’ll see them above you on wires and roofs. These little birds are simply everywhere. 

These common house sparrows that now dominate our city are not native to America, they were imported here in the 1800’s to control pests in cities. According to Grid Magazine “It’s hard to imagine now, but for the first 200 years of Philadelphia’s history, there were no house sparrows. The Eurasian birds (our native sparrows look similar but are unrelated) were intentionally imported in the mid-to-late 1800s to fight urban tree pests. The first releases were in Portland, Maine; New York; and Boston, but in 1869 Philadelphia got in on the act.”

If you care at all about identifying these birds, according to Pennsylvania Wildlife “Male house sparrows have black chin and breast patches (the amount of black varies among individuals), white cheeks and a chestnut nape. Females are a dingy brown.”

Many articles dub these sparrows as “invasive” and according to a 2011 study, the house sparrow was the most common bird found in Philadelphia backyards by more than five times. I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say that the house sparrow is by far the most common animal in Philadelphia and that it’s the wild animal in Philadelphia that people see the most frequently. 

The House Sparrow is an inoffensive part of our everyday life that often goes ignored. They don’t bother us, we don’t bother them. Most people don’t even know that they exist, but now that you’ve read this article – you will see them everywhere. 

These insignificant passerines have occupied the Philadelphia streets for more than 150 years and they have been viewed as a solution to the pest problem, they have been viewed as a pest to Pennsylvania farms and other bird species, and now they aren’t really viewed at all. They are so under the radar that no one really acknowledges their existence. 

The Wild Animal Initiative has been conducting research on the House Sparrow since 2023 and has been providing annual updates on their findings. The study’s goal is to understand “how varying environmental conditions such as water availability, noise level, and land use affect the welfare of a common animal, the house sparrow.” In their most recent 2025 update they announced that the study will be published in the Journal of Field Ornithology.

The house sparrow could very well be the mascot for this great city, they do whatever they want, whenever they want and there’s nothing we can do about it. Next time you step outside, look around, there are house sparrows everywhere.  Be happy we have sparrows and not rats.

This article was inspired by The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World.