European water vole vs House Sparrow

Arvicola amphibius compared with Passer domesticus

Key Differences

• European water vole is Near Threatened while House Sparrow is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European water vole	House Sparrow
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Cricetidae	Passeridae
Genus	Arvicola	Passer
Species	Arvicola amphibius	Passer domesticus

Evolutionary Relationship

European water vole and House Sparrow share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

European water vole

NT — Near Threatened

House Sparrow

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European water vole	House Sparrow
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European water vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

House Sparrow

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 6 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (25 countries), Asia (4 countries), Europe (7 countries), North America (15 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu), and South America (8 countries).

House Sparrow

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden