The sparrows were ____.

A dynamic or fientive verb is a verb that shows continued or progressive action on the part of the subject. This is the opposite of a stative verb..

Examples of dynamic verbs:
 

• eat
• walk
• learn
• grow
• sleep
• talk
• write
• run
• read
• become
• go

These words can all be used in the progressive form.

Example sentences with dynamic verbs:
 

• "I can't talk right now, I'm eating dinner."
  Present progressive used to describe an action happening now.
  
   
• "Sorry, I'm out of breath because I've been running."
  Present perfect progressive used to describe an action that started in the past, continued for some time and has results now.
  
   
• "I didn't steal the necklace! I was sleeping when someone broke into the shop!"
  Past progressive used to talk about an action that was happening at a particular time in the past.