On Tue, 11 Mar 1997 09:10:41 -0800 Streiffert <streif at televar.com>
writes:
>Tweeters,
snip
>Another topic: In a small town, it doesn't take much to become known
>as the "bird lady." (The qualifications are something like being able
to
>tell a robin from a goldfinch.) Anyway, I'm supposed to give a talk
>to a group of teen boys and I'm supposed to answer the question they
>posed: "What is the velocity of a sparrow?" How fast does your average
>sparrow fly, I guess is what they want to know. Any idea?
>Kristi Streiffert
>Coulee Dam, WA

Hi Kristi -

The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds, by John K.
Terres, copyright 1980 by Wings Books, Avenal, New Jersey, gives flight
speeds for the following members of the Finch Family (Fringillidae),
which includes the sparrows:

Indigo Bunting - 20 mph
Snow Bunting - 20-26 mph
Varied Bunting - 28 mph
Northern Cardinal - 26 mph
Dickcissel - 25 mph
American Goldfinch - 19-39 mph
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon race) - 26 mph
Pyrrhuloxia - 20 mph
Chipping Sparrow - 15-20 mph
Golden-crowned Sparrow - 10.8-20.9 mph
Lark Sparrow - 21-28 mph
Savannah Sparrow - 20-29 mph
Song Sparrow - 17-30 mph
Vesper Sparrow - 17 mph
White-crowned Sparrow - 13.3-19.1 mph

The dates and places of the timings are noted in the Encyclopedia.

For the House Sparrow, which is a member of the Weaverbird Family
(Ploceidae), the flight speed is given variously as 5-39 mph, 20 mph, and
28-35 mph

Hope this helps! Those teens can be tricky. I know that there is a
difference between the definition of the words "velocity" and "speed."
I'm not sure what the difference is, maybe a better-educated TWEETER can
help. I know that there is one (from a teenaged niece).

Cathi Pelletier, Waterbury, CT Heronwing at juno.com
"When hot sunlight burnt,
The gnarly old apple trees
Gave us their shade."