Sparrows are small, sociable and everywhere, and their success comes partly from a simple, adaptable diet built around seeds.
What sparrows eat
Sparrows are mainly seed and grain eaters, feeding heavily on grass and weed seeds, grains, and — at feeders — millet and sunflower. In spring and summer they add plenty of insects, especially to feed their young, which need the protein. In towns, house sparrows also scavenge crumbs and scraps.
How sparrows feed
Sparrows are ground feeders by nature and often forage in busy little flocks, hopping about to pick up fallen seed. They are bold and adaptable, which is why they do so well around people, from farmland to city centres.
How to attract sparrows
Sparrows are easy to please: scatter millet, cracked corn and sunflower seeds on the ground or a low platform feeder. They also appreciate water and some dense shrubs or hedges to shelter and nest in. Be aware that house sparrows can crowd out smaller native birds at feeders.
How a sparrow's diet changes with the seasons
For most of the year, sparrows are seed and grain eaters, happily working through the small seeds they find in gardens, hedgerows and fields. But their diet shifts in spring and summer. During the breeding season, adults catch insects and caterpillars to feed their chicks, which need plenty of protein to grow quickly. This seasonal switch means a bird you usually see nibbling seed may suddenly be busy hunting bugs. It is a small change, but an important one, and it shows how flexible these familiar little birds can be when there are hungry young to raise. Our page on how long sparrows live has more on their life cycle.
Feeding sparrows in your garden
Sparrows are among the easiest birds to welcome to a garden. A simple mix of seed, millet and sunflower hearts, offered on a bird table or in a feeder, will usually bring them in. They are sociable, noisy birds and tend to arrive in chattering flocks rather than one at a time, so once a few find your feeder, more often follow. Because they feed so happily together, sparrows can bring a real sense of life and bustle to even a small outdoor space. Keeping the food topped up and the feeder clean will help them return day after day.