Youngsters
get to know the young hero and the adventures
that carry him toward manhood. As they come to know Jeremiah as a friend who would
understand their own growing pains, they look forward to each book in the
series.
Teachers
will Achieve..
Teachers will appreciate the ways
that Jeremiah Stokely novels, kits, and activities make literature
meaningful to children. Teachers can download free classroom idea
packets to hold a hand-on workshop based on each book.
Click the >Play button
to listen to the bird's song!
House Sparrow (Passer
domesticus)
Length 5-6½ in., wingspan 9 ½ in., Family Passeridae
Although this bird is named for its habit of nesting
on or near houses, you are more likely to see it scavenging a meal of scraps
in the parking lot of a restaurant or discount store. It often nests in the
giant letters of store signs.
The extremely adaptable House Sparrow is not a native
American; a few of its ancestors were introduced into New York’s Central
Park in 1850 to get rid of a pesty species of caterpillar. By 1910, the
species had become a pest itself, spreading all the way to California! It is
found in every state, Canada, and Mexico. It is sometimes incorrectly called
“English Sparrow.”
The female and juvenile are dull shades of brown with
pale tan eyebrows. The male is easily recognized by its rich rust back and
wings, black throat and bib, dark gray cap, and white cheeks. Its wings are
touched with black and white; its underside is pale gray. The male is
brighter in breeding season.
The
House Sparrow’s nest is a messy conglomerate of rough grasses and feathers,
where four to six spotted eggs are laid all at once. The species breeds in
all but the coldest winter months; this explains their rapid spread. Because
they compete for food and nest sites, some native species have declined
where House Sparrows have moved in. Although these sparrows eat harmful bugs
and weed seeds, they do more damage to crops.
The
name “sparrow” comes from Old English spearw for “a flutterer.”
