Includes bibliographical references and index (pages 168-185).

In Sparrow, award-winning science and natural history writer Kim Todd explores the bird"s complex history, biology, and literary tradition. Todd describes the difference between Old World sparrows, like the house sparrow, which can nest in a garage or in an airport, and New World sparrows, which often stake their claim to remote islands or meadows in the high Sierra. In addition, she looks at the nineteenth-century Sparrow War in the United States--a battle over the sparrow"s introduction--which set the stage for decades of discussions of invasive species. She examines the ways in which sparrows have taught us about evolution and the shocking recent decline of house sparrows in cities globally--this disappearance of a bird that seemed hardwired for success remains an ornithological mystery.