The cheery and sociable house sparrow is more closely associated with ... On freshly molted (nonbreeding) bird, the blackish and reddish regions obscured by gray feather tips.

Let’s look at some of our guests. The first brown bird that might come to mind is the sparrow, and several species come to my feeder. The house sparrow is common in cities and suburbs.

House sparrows are an invasive pest that come with a slew of issues, including property damage and aggression to other birds.

The Dunnock is similar in size to the House Sparrow, though it is a sleeker bird with a fine bill. The plumage is rather drab, being a mixture of grey on the head and chest and brown elsewhere.