A survey on sparrow search algorithms and their applications

The sparrow search algorithm (SSA) is an efficient swarm-intelligence-based algorithm that has made some significant advances since its introduction in 2020. A detailed overview of the basic SSA and several SSA-based variants is presented in this paper. To be specific, first, the principle of the basic SSA is introduced including its search mechanism and implementation process. Second, many improved SSAs are reviewed including the hybrid, chaotic, adaptive, binary and multi-objective SSAs. In addition, the applications of the SSAs are presented in some real scenarios such as the machine learning areas, energy systems, path planning and image processing. Finally, further research directions of the SSAs are discussed. This survey paper aims to provide a timely review on the latest developments of the SSAs.