Sparrow pushed out of urban spaces by housing
First bees, and now sparrows. How many more of our native species will we have to watch disappear? For many of us the chirping of a cheerful ‘cockney sparra’ is now a thing of the past. New research has shown that there has been a huge decline in the numbers of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), but up to 60% in some urban areas since the mid-1970s.
The fall in numbers has been most dramatic in areas where green spaces such as gardens and allotments have been built on, and seems to show that the birds need green spaces to flourish in an urban setting. The researchers, who report their findings in the Journal of Ornithology are quoted as saying, "It would seem to be imperative that any action plan to protect urban house sparrow populations should include specific protection of such key habitats.''
The fall in numbers has been greatest in the Southeast and the centre of cities as diverse as London and Edinburgh, but numbers have actually been rising in more rural locations in Wales and Scotland.
I love watching the sparrows in my garden, and I'm shocked by how many visitors can't identify them. I don't expect people to be able to identify loads of different bird species, but I think everyone in Britain ought to be able to recognise "some sort of gull", "some sort of corvid (crow, rook, jackdaw)", "some sort of bird of prey", pigeons, magpies, robins and sparrows. Am I being unreasonable? Does that sound like a tall order? I'll make it a bit easier - I won't object if they can't tell a female sparrow from any other sort of "little brown job" (like a female chaffinch, dunnock, wren etc.). But a male sparrow like the one in your picture is distinctive enough and ought to be ubiquitous enough that all Britons should know it.
Posted by: Mel Rimmer | August 6, 2007 4:40 PM