Brown Rat vs Harris' Sparrow

Rattus norvegicus compared with Zonotrichia querula

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Harris' Sparrow is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Harris' Sparrow
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Passerellidae
Genus	Rattus	Zonotrichia
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Zonotrichia querula

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Harris' Sparrow share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Harris' Sparrow

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Harris' Sparrow
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

Harris' Sparrow

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States