若いスズメ, Young sparrows

今年巣立った若いスズメ, Young sparrows that left the nest this year

かつて、スズメは日本人にとって最も身近な野鳥だった。この頃はあまり見かけない。現代的な家屋はスズメが巣を作る隙間がないことが理由の1つと言われている。この日、公園の生垣の所で数羽のスズメを見かけた。今年巣立った若いスズメたちのようだった。日本のスズメは全世界で見ると少数派で、多くの国では普通、やや大型のイエスズメを見かける。イエスズメには頬の黒斑がない。

In the past, sparrows were the most familiar wild birds to Japanese people. These days, they are rarely seen. One reason is said to be that modern houses do not have spaces for sparrows to build nests. On this day, I saw several sparrows by the hedge in the park. They seemed to be young sparrows that had left the nest this year. Japanese sparrows are a minority around the world, and in many countries, you will usually see the slightly larger house sparrow, which does not have black spots on its cheeks.