Do sparrows walk or hop?
A few families of small birds that hop are the finches, sparrows, and warblers (one exception is the ground nesting warbler, the ovenbird. It walks when on the ground, and I assume hops when among branches). Birds that spend much of the time feeding on the ground or at ground level, rather than in trees tend to walk.
Almost all birds are capable of doing both, but it's normally more energy efficient for small birds to move by hopping. Their light bodies are easy to bounce into the air and they cover much more distance in a single hop than a walking stride from their short legs.
Male House Sparrows are brightly colored birds with gray heads, white cheeks, a black bib, and rufous neck – although in cities you may see some that are dull and grubby. Females are a plain buffy-brown overall with dingy gray-brown underparts. Their backs are noticeably striped with buff, black, and brown.
They were once everywhere- Chirping and flapping their wings at the window sills, on top of cupboards and on the branches of trees. Where have all the little sparrows gone? This is the most frequently asked question about sparrows these days.
Song Sparrows flit through dense, low vegetation or low branches, occasionally moving onto open ground after food.
House Sparrows hop rather than walk on the ground. They are social, feeding in crowded flocks and squabbling over crumbs or seeds on the ground.
Dispersal and migration. Most house sparrows do not move more than a few kilometres during their lifetimes. However, limited migration occurs in all regions. Some young birds disperse long distances, especially on coasts, and mountain birds move to lower elevations in winter.
Most passerines hop, but others, such as larks, pipits, starlings, and meadowlarks, typically stride. Within the family Corvidae, jays hop whereas crows stride. Diverse species, including robins, ravens, and blackbirds, both hop and stride.
In the corvid family, for example, crows, ravens and magpies all walk, but jays hop. Birds that nest and forage on the ground are much more likely to run than hop. This includes all the game birds like pheasants and grouse, but also smaller birds, such as wagtails, that chase insects on the ground.
Mourning doves, ducks, pigeons, and wild turkeys all leave “chains” of tracks, alternating feet as they walk. Birds that live mostly in trees and bushes tend to hop from one spot to another, even when they are on the ground, leaving paired tracks.
