In India the race indicus occurs throughout the lowlands and foothills wherever there are people. I have seen nesting pairs in the isolated makeshift homes of salt workers isolated in the burning wastes of the Little Rann of Kutch. The larger brighter race parkini occurs up to 4500m from Kashmir east to Sikkim and the paler race bactrianus breeds in west central Asia and winters south to Rajasthan. This is unusual as the species is normally rather sedentary, only making altitudinal movements in cold weather.

House Sparrows typically nest in and near buildings and the adults feed to a large extent on grain and other food produced by man. The young are fed on insects. In the villages they frequently move out into the nearby cultivation to feed on ripening and spilt grain, often in flocks with weavers. Breeding is mainly from February to June in the north but nests can be found throughout the year. When breeding the males have a jaunty and noisy courtship display when they hop round with drooping wings and raised tail. The loud chirruping of both sexes is persistent and pervasive, particularly when they first wake and when they go to roost.

The male in breeding plumage is mainly bright, dark streaked chestnut brown above with pale grey cheeks and under parts, a grey crown and extensive black on face and breast. The nape up to the rear of the eyes is unstreaked chestnut. In non-breeding plumage they are duller with a less extensive black bib. The females are mainly buff and brown with pale supercilia and no streaking below.

The Spanish Sparrow extends across the Mediterranean Basin east to central Asia. The easterly population is migratory and occurs in variable numbers in winter in northwest India south to Rajasthan. Only one race occurs in India. It is very much a rural species occurring in dry thorn scrub and cultivation. Parties often occur on the edges of villages where it mixes with House Sparrows but it seems to be much more wary. The best way to find them is to search winter sparrow flocks resting in small bare trees. They seem to be most numerous in the drier areas in the west of Haryana and Rajasthan and are by no means predictable close to Delhi. They are marginally bulkier than House Sparrows and the call is a more metallic chirruping.

The male acquires his striking breeding plumage from February onwards. Then he has a plain chestnut crown and nape contrasting with white cheeks. Heavy black streaking extends from the black breast down the flanks and the upper parts are heavily black streaked. The bill becomes black. For most of the winter however the chestnut and black are heavily tipped with whitish and the bill is yellowish. It is then easily overlooked as a House Sparrow. The female is very difficult to distinguish but has longer pale supercilia and back braces and slight streaking on the under parts.