sparrow

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
sparrow/ˈsparəʊ/

▶noun a small, typically brown and grey finch-like bird related to the weaver birds. [Passer domesticus (house sparrow) and other species.]

■ used in names of many other birds which resemble this, especially American birds of the bunting family (Emberizidae), e.g. Java sparrow, song sparrow.

– origin OE spearwa, of Gmc origin.