The incessant chirps and gregarious lifestyles of house sparrows qualify them as extremely talkative and social little birds to appreciate as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Of particular interest to me is the house or English sparrow. I have learned to appreciate the striking plumage males display during the breeding season: gray crowns with chestnut borders, whitish ...

It’s almost impossible to realize I once said that when I saw my first house sparrow. Back then, this introduced species was known as the English sparrow. That first visit was sometime in the ’60s.

It’s springtime at Jamaica Bay, a wonderful birding area filled with shorebirds, ducks, geese and many colorful passerines in the scrubby gardens. A smattering of birders are ambling along in front of ...