The Java sparrow was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia oryzivora.

[5] Linnaeus based his description on the "Padda or Rice-bird" that had been described and illustrated in 1743 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds.

In aggressive interactions, the sparrows emit faster trill-calls with higher sound pressure levels and entropy.

This variation in trill-calls plays a crucial role in the birds' social communication, helping them convey different intentions based on the context.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Java sparrow was one of the most popular cage birds in the United States until its import was banned.

Today it remains illegal to possess in California because of a perceived threat to agriculture, although rice-dependent Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Japan have not regulated the bird.

The Java sparrow is now evaluated as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with less than 10,000 individuals remaining.

[13] The species is also severely threatened by the illegal exotic pet trade as they are sought after for their distinctive song, according to TRAFFIC.