House Sparrow vs Northern Fulmar
Passer domesticus comparé à Fulmarus glacialis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | House Sparrow | Northern Fulmar |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Passer domesticus | Fulmarus glacialis |
| Ordre | Passeriformes | Procellariiformes |
| Famille | Passeridae | Procellariidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | 16,0 cm (6.3 in) | 47,0 cm (18.5 in) |
| Envergure | 25,0 cm (9.8 in) | 107,0 cm (42.1 in) |
| Poids | 30,0 g (1.06 oz) | 750,0 g (26.46 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Primarily seeds and grains, supplemented with insects during breeding season. Readily exploits human food scraps … | Fish, squid, crustaceans, offal from fishing vessels, and zooplankton. Feeds by surface-seizing and shallow plunge-diving. |
| Taille de la couvée | 1-8 | 1 |
| 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.
Northern Fulmar
Open ocean and sea cliffs. Breeds on cliff ledges and grassy slopes on northern coastlines. Pelagic outside breeding season.
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.
Northern Fulmar
A nasal, cackling 'kak-kak-kak-kak' or grunting 'uh-uh-uh' at the nest and colony. Less melodic than petrels. In flight gives occasional single nasal calls.
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.
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Statut de conservation
House Sparrow
Northern Fulmar
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
Northern Fulmar
Light morph: white head and underparts with grey wings and back. Dark morph: entirely grey. Tube-nosed bill and stiff-winged flight distinctive at sea.
Yellowish hooked bill with prominent tubular nostrils on top
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.
Northern Fulmar
The northern fulmar is a long-lived seabird that can survive over 40 years. It defends its nest by projectile-vomiting a foul-smelling stomach oil at intruders, which can mat the feathers of predators and cause fatal loss of waterproofing. Fulmars have expanded their breeding range dramatically southward over the past two centuries.