House Sparrow vs Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Passer domesticus compared with Paradisaea raggiana
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | House Sparrow | Raggiana Bird-of-paradise |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passer domesticus | Paradisaea raggiana |
| Order | Passeriformes | Passeriformes |
| Family | Passeridae | Paradisaeidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 16.0 cm (6.3 in) | 34.0 cm (13.4 in) |
| Wingspan | 25.0 cm (9.8 in) | 45.0 cm (17.7 in) |
| Weight | 30.0 g (1.06 oz) | 260.0 g (9.17 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily seeds and grains, supplemented with insects during breeding season. Readily exploits human food scraps … | Fruit, seeds, arthropods, and small vertebrates. Males display at communal lek sites to attract females. |
| Clutch Size | 1-8 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
House Sparrow
Closely associated with human habitation. Found in cities, towns, farms, and any built environment. Rarely found far from people.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Tropical rainforest and forest edge from lowlands to mid-montane elevations in New Guinea.
Song & Call Comparison
House Sparrow
Monotonous series of chirping 'cheep' and 'chirrup' notes. Male gives 'chilp' song repeatedly. Flocks produce constant chirping chatter. No melodic song; purely functional calls.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Males emit harsh, buzzy 'kraaak' calls and explosive wailing during display. Females give softer 'waak' contact calls. Display calls are loud and chaotic at leks.
Geographic Range & Migration
House Sparrow
Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Introduced to every continent except Antarctica, making it the most widely distributed wild bird.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Southern and eastern New Guinea. Endemic to Papua New Guinea.
Conservation Status
House Sparrow
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
How to Tell Them Apart
House Sparrow
Males have grey crowns, chestnut napes, black bibs, and streaked brown backs. Females and juveniles are plain buffy-brown with a pale eyebrow stripe.
Short, stout, conical bill — black in breeding males, yellowish in non-breeding
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Males have a yellow crown, emerald-green throat, and spectacular cascading orange-red flank plumes. Females are brown with rufous underparts.
Stout, slightly curved, blue-grey bill
About These Birds
House Sparrow
The house sparrow is perhaps the most successful bird in the world at living alongside humans. Introduced to New York in 1851, it spread across North America within decades. Despite its global abundance, house sparrow populations have declined significantly in parts of western Europe.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
The raggiana bird-of-paradise is the national bird of Papua New Guinea, featured on the national flag and coat of arms. Males gather at traditional display trees to perform elaborate courtship dances, hanging upside down and shaking their spectacular flank plumes. Alfred Russel Wallace first described the species in 1873.