House Sparrow: Pest or Friend?

The answer to the question partly depends upon whether the House Sparrow is native or introduced, although people all around the world are learning to appreciate the House Sparrow as another admirable species with an array of tenacious survival skills.

In the USA, the House Sparrow is often regarded as "a foreign European invader" having first been introduced in 1851 on the East Coast. Releases of breeding pairs took place throughout the 19th Century across the nation and by 1910 House Sparrows were thriving in California.

While they enjoyed popularity in the 19th Century, they are now often seen as unwanted competition with Native American birds, such as Bluebirds, who share the same diet and habitat. The House Sparrow is sometimes blamed for reducing the food supply and availability of nesting sites native birds used to enjoy.

Many accounts of the House Sparrow written for American audiences suggest ways to control and decrease their populations. Traps are often promoted as an effective control, but they run the risk of killing native birds. Organisations, such as the Cornell Laboratory for Ornithology, list other ways such as not feeding or providing nest sites for them.

While they are considered pests in the USA, the House Sparrows is looked more kindly upon in their native countries such as the United Kingdom and India where their populations are currently in decline. The House Sparrow is on the endangered species red-list in the United Kingdom where it enjoys legal protection against hunting, trapping and the destruction of nests.

House Sparrows can be considered as friends when their familiar chatter reminds people of 'home'.

House Sparrows do not migrate and their daily appearances throughout the winter provide a source of entertainment and event in an otherwise dull season in residential gardens, particularly in the United Kingdom where winters can be harsh and only a few birds remain to battle through the storms.

They also draw admiration for their nesting determination and raising of up to three broods a year. Adult pairs are often seen as 'heroes' for the way they marshall the increasing flock during hectic breeding and fledgling seasons.

When they leave urban areas for weeks to a month after the fledglings can fend for themselves, they are often missed and people look forward to their return.

And when they do not return, people look for ways to entice them back. When they were nearly eliminated in China under Mao's government because they were seen as pests that destroyed food crops for people, farmers found their crops had been destroyed by the insects the House Sparrows kept under control. They were reintroduced.

If the House Sparrow does not respond to current efforts to increase native populations, the solution might be to import breeding pairs from the United States, a solution that just might make everyone happy!!

Sources:

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (www.rspb.org)

http://10000birds.com/some-people-don't-like-house-sparrows.htm

www.columbia.edu
Introduced Summary Project, House Sparrow, Passer domesticus

Raising the Awareness of Young People about House Sparrow Decline

Twenty-six high school students in Ganapathy, Coimbatore, India, are involved in a project to to protect House Sparrows sponsored by the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) based in Anaikatty. The project aims to bring back the species to the Ganapathy neighbourhood by creating a natural habitat for them in residential gardens with feeding cans and nestboxes.

The Times of India (1 September 2011) reports:

'"Till some years ago, I could spot many sparrows around my house. But the numbers have really dwindled. We hardly see any sparrows these days," says Fiona Desimon, a student and avid bird lover.

"The awareness programme conducted by SACON helped us understand the problem and it is really sad to know their population is dwindling by the day. By putting up feeding cans, we can help the sparrows increase in numbers," she added.

Joseph Reginald, a research scholar at SACON, said the students would be taken to various places in the city to understand sparrow behaviour and habitat.

"During our study, we found 15 places in the city with a substantial sparrow population. Of these, we selected Ganapathy Ma Naga and Walayr for our project. The students will distribute (free) nests and feeding cans to houses in these areas," Joseph said.

"The destruciton of nests and rapid urbanisaiton are the reasons for the exstinction of birds in cities," said R Kumar Moorthy, a student active in the project. "The root cause of the disappearance of these birds is massive development work which leads to the cutting of trees and mangroves. Pollution, too, compounds the problem."'

SparrowSquad writes: A similar loss of habitat in the United Kingdom is also partly responsible for the House Sparrow demise in the United Kingdom. We feel a balance has to be created by Town and City Planners that meets the needs of birds, animals and people. You can help the House Sparrow by being alert to the material changes in your neighbourhood that would deprive House Sparrows of nesting sites and food sources. In the UK, every resident of a Borough has the right to object to Planning Applications. Good luck!

Making a Sparrow City in your Garden

House Sparrows have adapted to enivronments around the world, but over the past two decades their populations have declined by ten million in the United Kingdom.

Changes in modern farming practices that eliminate sources of insects Sparrow chicks are raised upon are some of the reasons for the decline. Others are due to the lack of eaves in modern commercial and domestic architecture design that have traditionally provided nesting sites protected from the weather and predators.

One way you can help encourage Sparrow life is to set aside a Sparrow Space in your garden. If you are lucky enough to attract several mating pairs you will find yourself with a Sparrow City.

Sparrows breed, nest and raise their chicks as a flock. The flock produces an abundance of SparrowChat - songs and calls - that will pepper your garden with the sounds of Spring and Summer throughout the day, particularly if they generate two broods of chicks. We count ourselves lucky to have SparrowChat from the middle of May to the end of August.

Our SparrowCity is centred upon a 25 year old Phoenix rose bush that has been left unpruned for many years. The upper branches reach the top of our first storey windows and have entwined to form a large hedge that provides insects, shelter from weather and safety from predators such as Magpies and Sparrowhawks. The lower branches are hung with seed, peanut and fat feeders. Sparrows hop down to the feeders on the rose branches.

The Phoenix Rose is bounded by a honeysuckle and ivy hedge on one side and an elderberry tree on the other. Like the rose, the honeysuckle and ivy provide insects. The elderberries are a favourite summer food.

Sparrows have been bringing their fledglings here for 15 years. The flock is currently six males and seven females who produced about 17 chicks in two broods.

You can provide nest boxes or 'sparrow terraces', but because we are across a small river from a small urban Nature Reserve, Sparrows have been able to nest in safety nearby.

Your Sparrow City should be safe from Cats - be sure the feeders are hung high enough to deter them and that they have no access to the hedges where they can hide and take the birds by surprise.

Feeder food is essential in a Sparrow City throughout the year. Sunflower seeds, peanuts and a range of fat products now available help increase young Sparrow survival over their first winter by providing energy producing oils. Feeders should be cleaned regularly to help prevent the rise and spread of avian flu/pox.

Ideally the Sparrow City should be sited so you can see it from your house interior. Pull up a chair and you will be provided with endless entertainment and joyful mayhem.

It may seem like a lot of work, especially in the winter months when we would all like to stay inside, but if you think you would enjoy a lively corner spot in your garden year after year, then a Sparrow City is for you!

Good luck!