House Sparrow vs Dunnock
How to tell these two garden look-alikes apart.
The quickest tell. House Sparrow: male has a grey crown and a big black bib. Dunnock: thin, pointed insect-eater's bill, not a sparrow's thick cone.
Photo: Esteban Poveda, CC BY (iNaturalist)
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
How to spot it
- Male has a grey crown and a big black bib
- Female plain dusty buff with a pale stripe behind the eye
- Chunky, with a thick seed-cracking bill
Birder's tip: Feeds in bustling gangs, tumbling in and out of hedges and feeders together.
Photo: peterichman, CC BY-SA (iNaturalist)
Dunnock
Prunella modularis
How to spot it
- Thin, pointed insect-eater's bill, not a sparrow's thick cone
- Slate-grey head and breast over a streaky brown back
- Shuffles low and mouse-like beneath hedges
Birder's tip: The fine pointed bill and grey face separate it at a glance from a thick-billed sparrow.
At a glance
| House Sparrow | Dunnock | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | the reference "sparrow-sized" | sparrow-sized |
| When you'll see it | Resident, here all year | Resident, here all year |
| Latin name | Passer domesticus | Prunella modularis |
Hear the difference
Their calls are often the giveaway. Have a listen.
House Sparrow call
Dunnock call
Learn them so they stick
Learn Birds teaches the UK's birds by sight and song, with real photos and recordings. It uses spaced repetition so the difference sticks for good.
Free. No signup. Works offline.