sparrow

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various small New World finches of the family Emberizidae, having brownish or grayish plumage and including the song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, chipping sparrow, vesper sparrow, and other closely related species.
2. n. Any of various birds of the family Passeridae, especially the house sparrow.
3. n. Any of various similar or related birds, such as the Java sparrow.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The housesparrow, Passer domesticus, a fringilline bird of Europe, which has been imported and naturalized in America, Australia, and other countries. It is about 6 inches long and 9⅓ in extent of wings. The upper parts of the male are ashy-gray, boldly streaked on the back with black and bay; there is a dark-chestnut or mahogany spot on each side of the neck; the lesser wing-coverts are chestnut; the median are tipped with white, forming a wing-bar; the greater coverts and inner secondaries have a black field bordered with gray; and the lower parts are ashy or gray, with jet-black on the throat, spreading on the breast, and bordered on the side of the neck with white. The female is similar, but more plainly feathered, lacking the distinctive head-markings of the male. The sparrow is a conirostral granivorous bird, whose food is principally seeds and grain, yet it has been introduced in many countries for the purpose of destroying noxious insects. It is extremely hardy, pugnacious, and prolific, rearing several large broods annually. Of all birds the sparrow naturally attaches itself most closely to man, and easily modifies its habits to suit artificial conditions of environment. It is thus one of several animals. as rats, mice, and other vermin, well fitted to survive under whatever conditions man may offer or enforce; hence it wins in competition with the native birds of the foreign countries where It naturalizes, without as readily developing counteractive agencies to check its increase. It speedily becomes a pest wherever introduced, and seldom destroys noxious insects to any appreciable extent. It was brought into the United States from Germany about 1869, and is now probably more numerous than any single native bird. In New York city thousands of sparrows are sold and eaten as reed-birds. See cut under Passer.
2. n. Some or any fringilline bird resembling the sparrow, as Passer montanus, the tree-sparrow; one of various finches and buntings, mostly of plain coloration. In the United States the name is given, with a qualifying word, to very many small sparrow-like birds, mostly of homely streaked coloration. Chipping or field-sparrows belong to the genus Spizella; crown-sparrows to Zonotrichia; fox-sparrows to Passerella; grasshopper-sparrows to Coturniculus; the grass-sparrow to Poœcetes; the lark-sparrow to Chondestes; sage-sparrows to Amphispiza; savanna-sparrows to Passerculus; seaside sparrows to Ammodromus; snow-sparrows to Junco; song-sparrows to Melospiza. See cuts under Chondestes, Coturniculus, Embernagra, field-sparrow, grassfinch, sage-sparrow, savanna-sparrow, snowbird, and song-sparrow.
3. n. Some little bird likened to or mistaken for a sparrow. Thus, the hedge-sparrow is the hedge-chanter, Accentor modularis, and some other warblers are loosely called sparrows.

Wiktionary

1. n. The house sparrow, Passer domesticus; a small bird with a short bill, and brown, white and gray feathers.
2. n. A member of the family Passeridae, comprising small Old World songbirds.
3. n. A member of the family Emberizidae, comprising small New World songbirds.
4. n. Generically, any small, nondescript bird.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. One of many species of small singing birds of the family Fringilligæ, having conical bills, and feeding chiefly on seeds. Many sparrows are called also finches, and buntings. The common sparrow, or house sparrow, of Europe (Passer domesticus) is noted for its familiarity, its voracity, its attachment to its young, and its fecundity. See House sparrow, under house.
2. n. Any one of several small singing birds somewhat resembling the true sparrows in form or habits, as the European hedge sparrow. See under Hedge.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
2. n. small brownish European songbird