If you enjoyed this video, you have to check out this deeper dive into House Sparrows and their impact in the United States! ua-cam.com/video/BGulfjlwPgY/v-deo.html
A year ago, they absolutely invaded my property and took complete control of the houses and feeders. The chickadees and bluebirds moved away, but not far away. I withdrew food and most of the housing for a solid spring + summer season and most of them left. Thankfully, the chickadees, nuthatches and titmouses all came back this year (the chickadees love me and the young ones are not scared of me at all -- they eat from my hand). So far, I've only seen the occasional house sparrow, but I know they'll be back with the juncos for winter. Love your channel, thanks!
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. House sparrows used to be very common here. Since people have have been landscaping with native plants, house sparrow numbers here have crashed. They were most commonly found around dairys. Dairys in the area have closed. I don't know how they are doing in the rest of the country.
@@billhinkle1653Anglophone Humans have called P. domesticus "the Sparrow" long before they knew of the existence of the 'true' Sparrows of the New World. Passer spp. are no longer considered Weaver Finches (Ploceidae); on the basis of recent DNA sequencing work, they are now assigned to their own family (Passeridae). One superficial difference is that Weaver Finches all actually weave their nests, while Passeridae don't.
I have witnessed this behavior many times. I built swallow nest boxes for a brother in-law in Wyoming only to have House Sparrows come in and wipe out the swallows and take over the nest box. I ended up having to modify the entrance to the box by making the opening smaller so the sparrows couldn't get inside but the swallow's still can. I've also seen them over run my bird feeders with so many sparrows coming in that the other smaller finches and Juncos are intimidated away.
I don't like House Sparrows, they've been decimating the local swallow population in my area. One of our mated pair of swallows had their young decimated leaving only one fledgling alive. And we fear one of the parents dead since we noticed that one of the parents that we saw so far appeared to have gone through a horrible ordeal. To make matters worse, the sparrows have begun to burrow into the left side of the building. I haven't seen many swallows after that and I fear they were all killed by the sparrows. It's odd, because the cats in the area ONLY go after both sparrows and pigeons. I've seen more sparrows killed than pigeons. I don't hate the sparrows, but they are decimating the native birds in my area. They are an invasive species.
I have what others have called a bird sanctuary. I have seen them chase off white breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, black capped chickadees, and even ruby-throated hummingbirds, I've also seen them attack a very young cardinal. It does upset me to see my VIP guest get treated that way. If they regard a bird as competition, they will try to run that bird out of my yard. How to remedy this? Make or buy feeders that house sparrows can't access, but other birds can. That way they won't see the other birds as eating their food as competition because they won't be able to access it anyways. In a short time, they'll figure out that the hummingbird isn't after their food but that new feeder, and then they'll leave the new tiny bird alone. House sparrows can be very violent when it comes to nesting sites, but they are that way with themselves as well. And it isn't house sparrows alone that can be violent, mostly any bird will fight for a nesting spot (including your favorite cute one). Wrens and chickadees don't act so cute when they are fighting for a box or a cavity. House sparrows aren't alone in how they act, but that doesn't mean that they don't impact native species. Despite house sparrows chasing birds away if they see them as competition, they can also attract birds to the yard because other birds will notice them and follow along. The way people hate or love animals is often times very illogical, and often more about favoritism. Cats have killed 63 species to extinction and have put another 360 on the endangered list, as well as giving 11% of the human population toxoplasmosis in the USA, yet because of favoritism, they get a pass for their extreme destruction. People also often don't look at the big picture, people are rightfully upset about P'nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon being euthanized, yet if you tell them that on average, 55 million wildlife are killed each day in the USA because of outside and feral cats, they won't get upset. The land of the USA has been debated as to which animals have rights to it. The general public want to give it to what they find as cute or to their pets, and scientists in this field would usually favor the native ecosystem and want to preserve it as nature made it.
@@BadgerlandBirding Yep, I never understood what there is to debate about. Cats are so incredibly destructive to environments they are not native to. If you like your cute little cats, just keep them inside. But, everyone constantly argues against that saying, "my little mittens needs time outside!!" No, your little mittens does not. Your little mittens wants to kill native wildlife for fun. I'm very tired of this double standard because people find a species to be cute.
I had a nest of gray flycatchers in my birdbox; One day I saw I saw a house sparrow male fly in. Later found the babies scattered all over my yard, there was one survivor missing its little eye that I managed to rescue and return to its mother; however I doubt it survived long with one eye.
While I appreciate your inclusion of truth #5, I have to take issue with your use of the term "cold-blooded killer." I am very familiar with the research and reports of house sparrows targeting other cavity nesting species and fully agree that, in general, invasive species are a bad thing and should be dealt with. My problem with the house sparrow situation is that I've hardly heard articulated a single productive and plausible plan for dealing with house sparrows, and instead constantly hear the cavalier use of entirely inappropriate, anthropomorphic language to describe them, e.g., cold-blooded killers, satan's spawn, murderers, etc. It's possible that the house sparrow situation is not remediable through cost-effective means that wouldn't also involve dealing massive blows to native avian species population, and that's something we need to reckon with. Occasionally someone will mention certain tricks and tips to keep them off backyard feeders, but I'd love to hear about strategies for "righting the wrongs" of a species that has had more than 150 years to cement itself in North America's ecological web. Remember, this problem is OUR fault; not the house sparrows'. I acknowledge that many of the people using moralized language to describe house sparrows are speaking from the pain of personally having had a house sparrow invade their bluebird boxes, and I can somewhat empathize. If a coyote killed my cat, I'd certainly hate that coyote. But overall, I believe that the objectively inappropriate anthropomorphic, moralized language that people use to describe house sparrows is, at best, a half-hearted effort to bring attention to invasive species, and at worst, a divisive force among the birding community that alienates those that appreciate them for their merits (such as myself), and even discourages potential new birders from joining the community. Let's be intellectually honest, people. Badgerland Birding, I absolutely love your work and overall, this is a well-made, impartial video that presents the facts accurately and without bias. I had to quibble about the cold-blooded killers comment because I am entirely opposed to ascribing human moral standards to animals. And I am especially opposed to doing so in response to losing a bluebird box, rather than in response to the actual, scientifically verifiable impact of invasive species. As far as invasive species go, however, we have bigger fish to fry than the house sparrow (pun intended) and I don't see NEARLY as much anger directed towards the feral swine, the Burmese python, the asian carp, or even the European starling! I wonder why that is.
Re: "... (pun intended) and I don't see NEARLY as much anger...": the ubiquity of that gangster spp. It's everywhere on our continent, much like the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). And, we don't see a starling competing with a chickadee or blue bird for a nesting box or site, correct us if we're wrong.
@ that doesn’t mean the starling’s impact is any less severe, it’s just less emotionally charged, which is sort of my point. We are maligning and demonizing the house sparrow more than other objectively MORE invasive species simply because the house sparrow’s impact is more emotionally charged (e.g., invading bluebird boxes), NOT because it’s actually the most harmful invasive species.
European starlings are aggressive & do compete for nest sites with our native birds. While they can’t use a nestbox with an appropriately sized entrance hole (1 1/2”) for bluebirds, they will take over nestboxes designed for woodpeckers, kestrels, & screech owls. I’ve seen them in wood duck houses as well. Unfortunately they also take over natural cavities that native birds use, impacting numerous species.
Thanks for the comment! The entire video was made in response to comments on other videos that A) were people saying House Sparrows would never hurt any other creature. B) people saying that House Sparrows are pure evil. In reality neither is true so we wanted to shed a light on the fact that most of these ideas are not accurate. The cold blooded killer line is part sensationalizing/hyperbolizing but also pointing out that these birds have no qualms about ending the life of other creatures (which is true of most animals). In regards to strategies for management: nobody has come up with anything on a large scale but they have had success with small scale management where needed. House Sparrows have been here so long there’s no way to get rid of them. I think people focus on House Sparrows as “enemies” because they see them at home more than Asian Carp, or Pythons although both of those species are legitimate ecological disasters.
Some animals(us included) adapt very quickly in many environments so it shouldn't come as a surprise there are animals and plants out there that does the exact same thing we do. After all we humans are probably the most aggressive invasive species this planet has ever seen. When everything goes sideways in our world you know exactly what animal/plant species that will follow us to the very end - the ones that have adapted to living alongside us in our cities. You can't blame animals for something we've done, they're opportunistic just like we are and trying to solve a problem that we've created is bound to cause even more problems down the line. Every time we interfere things go bad, it's the way things are when we get involved.
A huge reason the rabid hatred and genocide of invasive species really disturbs me. In the vast majority of cases they’re impossible to remove once established and it’s meaningless, hateful cruelty.
UK populations of House Sparrows are struggling due to loss of nesting sites, collapse of insect populations (parent House Sparrows can't even gather aphids to supplement the food of their nestlings and fledglings!), pathogens, predation by resurgence populations of Tawny Owls, Eurasian Kestrels, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, Common Gulls, Gray Herons, Eurasian Magpies, Western Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Rooks, and even Eurasian Jays. Increasingly, town and village developments and renovations in the UK and much of Continental Europe replace shrubs, trees, and grass with pavement, blacktop, and concrete. Trees that foster nesting and roosting birds are viewed as a nuisance by many planners and are removed as such. Even populations of the less synanthropic Common Starling in the UK have overall fallen sharply since the 1960s.
Here in north Texas my wife and I lived in an apartment for a few years, these guys were soo bad about getting inside the dryer outlet vents and buildings nests. 3 separate years we had babies climb all the way through the dryer vent and into our dryer. We would always place them in a shoe box and put them on the patio. The mother would always find them. 🤦♂️🤣
The fact that they're so widespread actually tells a lot about them. I live in Kolkata, India, and my place is visited by all sorts of birds ranging from Indian Ringnecks, Magpies, Bulbuls, etc., but the most abundant bird over here is the house sparrow as well. Just imagine-the house sparrow has (or rather had) a lot of competition in the wild. Coppersmith barbets, finches, etc. would all prefer to make nests within holes of trees. But they're not as abundant as the house sparrows are. That itself justifies the fact that they're onto dark stuff. Only two other birds have mastered conquering nature: Crows (due to their unmatched intelligence) and pigeons (urbanscape is a sweet spot for them to nest-no competition at all for a bird that lays eggs on plant tubs). None of them have direct competitors for space, but the sparrows do. All the more reason for them to be dark little bastards.
My kids called them McDonald's Sparrows back in the 80s. I started Project Feederwatch around 2000 and their numbers were greatest in 2004-5. But steadily declined until only one yard sighting in the past 12 years, despite their presence at the McDonalds just three blocks away. Central Ontario.
I think this whole issue is actually pretty simple. House sparrows almost exclusively occur in proximity to humans. You will not see house sparrows in wild woodlands. They are hardcore synanthropes, associates of humans, as they've been for many thousands of years. I think house sparrows are just a vanishingly minor symptom of the real problem: humans. It is amazing to me that people can be screaming "these damn non-native, environmentally destructive birds!" and when you zoom out they're surrounded by humans and human infrastructure. It's hard to be more oblivious.
Haha, I fully agree with you, but both in the absence of, and in the presence of non native synanthropes, native species can and do also evolve to synanthropy. At most, previously evolved synanthropes from elsewhere only slow down this process, as Northern Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, American Robins, Brown Headed Cowbirds, Gray Catbirds, Canada Geese, Red Foxes, etc make clear. The Giant Canada Goose (Branta canadensis maxima) was hunted to near endangered status during the 19th century, now most of the very big honkers you see in parks, golf courses, etc. in much of the Eastern and Central US are descended from maxima.
I was born in 1960 in Tampa, Florida. As a I grew up there were Sparrows everywhere! In the early 2000 there were hardly any, now there are none as far as I can tell. I moved to Houston in 2024 and they are very abundant here. I was unaware of their bad side.
Florida had huge populations of feral Budgerigars that crashed during the end of the 1960s from viral diseases that are now endemic among domestic Budgerigars in most of the world. As Florida has been a major hub for 'exotic' cage and aviary bird imports, many new (to NA) host generalist pathogens that can kill House Sparrows such as VVNC came with them. I laughed when I read that the Budgie wipeout in Florida "was possibly due to competition with the European Starling"; Budgies went feral in great abundance nearly a century after the Common Starling became established in Florida, which now has lots of non native psittacines plus exotic passerines such as Red Whiskered Bulbuls and assorted estrildids.
Mao had the Chinese eradicate sparrows because they ate some of their grain. The result was a massive famine. Why? Because those same sparrows would eat small grasshoppers too, keeping their numbers down so that they didn't turn into a swarm of locust that ate all the grain. Sometimes the ugly truth is that we actually need animals that at first glance appear to be detrimental.
I knew someone would repeat this story. The Sparrows Mao tried to eradicate are Old World Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus), not the larger and more synanthropic House Sparrow. P. montanus and P. domesticus both occur in South Asia, and P. montanus replaces the House Sparrow in East and most of SE Asia. They were also introduced in St. Louis during the 19th century but until recently spread little, and are known locally as "German Sparrows". Correlation does not equal causality. P. montanus is NOT an efficient predator on insects generally, and has minimal effect on locust populations. Giant Neotropical Toads were introduced to Hawaii to control Sugarcane Beetles, and coincidentally populations of these insects declined a few years later. The result was that "Cane Toads" were introduced to Australia and Southeast Asia as a 'biological control' for the Cane Beetle. These insects live as subterranean larvae feeding on Sugarcane roots, then after their also subterranean pupal stage, emerge from the soil and move to the upper levels of the Sugarcane to feed on foliage. It is only during the brief period that they leave the soil, that they are subject to toad predation. So Rhinella marina is an ineffective predator on Cane Beetles. Old World Tree Sparrows are inefficient predators on insects, and gather these in significant quantities only when feeding young. They are not adapted to prey on locusts past the insects' first nymphal stage, since their short conical seedeater bills afford them no protection against the locusts' defensive kicking at birds' faces and eyes with their spiny jumping legs. There are very good reasons why primarily and secondarily insectivorous birds usually have longer bills relative to their overall size than seedeaters. The story goes that Mao's anti Tree Sparrow campaign led to a locust plague that caused massive famine in China. The famine was real and cost the lives of millions, including extended family members of two unrelated Han friends of mine now living in Singapore. However, when I checked records for international Locust monitoring agencies for this time period, I could find NO records of any of the three different locust species capable of population explosions in China actually undergoing such an outbreak. There were NO records of locust outbreaks in China during the period AT ALL. Many birds native to China and elsewhere are far more efficient predators of insects including locusts than Old World Tree Sparrows. A disproportionate number of these efficient locust predators are members of the Sturnidae, including the much despised Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis, Indian Myna in Australia) and the Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus), which drastically increases its' reproductive rate during locust population explosions. However, locust plagues and their gregarious phase are triggered by atypically high survivorship among locust egg pods and early instar nymphs due to favorable weather conditions that are neither too wet and/or cool (which triggers disease outbreaks), nor too dry (which inhibits plant growth on which locusts feed). Avian predation on locusts is much more visible than the effects of harmful weather, but it is less important in limiting or preventing locust plagues than unfavorable weather and pathogens. To repeat, correlation does not equal causality, and confusion between the two is why 'Cane Toads' are now super evolving in Australia. And Old World Tree Sparrows are NOT efficient predators on locusts. YT is hiding my second post here; tap on the "Newest" option in the Comments bar.
@@Arend-q8p Is this your own article, or did you copy it from somewhere? It does sound compelling? The Wikipedia article on the subject that disagrees with you, and it also sounds compelling. They cite a "Discover Magazine" article on the subject. You may be right about the sparrows, but I think you will still in general agree with the old margarine commercial, "It's not good to fool mother nature". (Still, I think we should give eradicating the biting mosquito a try.)
@Mark16v15 Wikipedia banned me from their discussions for 4 years because I posted a very polite breakdown of their "Mao and the (Tree) Sparrow" article. I discovered this only after I tried to post a completely neutral discussion about Allium giganteum, a wild member of the Onion family from west Asia that until recently was extensively cultivated in the Netherlands as an ornamental flower bulb. That post is 100% my own. I'm a 77 year old retired biologist born in the US who lived extensively in Europe and East and Southeast Asia. You can verify my comments about locust outbreaks in China during Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' very easily on your own. The insects that Tree Sparrows gather for their nestlings and fledglings are soft bodied defenseless homoptera such as aphids and leafhoppers, not spiny legged, kicking 2nd instar and up locust nymphs with tough exoskeleton. And to repeat, weather conditions and associated pathogen epizootics, and plant growth are the main factors preventing locust plagues, not Sparrows, or the more insectivorous mynas and Starlings. Mao was a science illiterate peasant who knew nearly nothing about the outside world. With the departure of Angela Merkel and the abdiction of Japan's figurehead Emperor Akihito (whom I greatly admire, he has a PhD in biology), the only major head of state today with a science degree is Mao's current successor. Xi Jinping has a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, and an honorary degree in Agricultural Science from University of Iowa. The only areas in the world today where House Sparrows are not obligate synanthropes are in India, where House and Tree Sparrows are both undergoing severe population declines from steadily worsening episodic air pollution. OW Tree Sparrows are smaller than House Sparrows and adult males and females look alike. They are obligate cavity nesters, and are as ruthless as nearly all cavity nesting birds are in seeking and defending nesting cavities. Tree Sparrows are both synanthropes, and thriving away from anthropogenic habitats throughout their range, unlike House Sparrows. Unlike cardueline finches, Passer Sparrows do not efficiently utilize semiripe seeds to rear their young, but as a result, can nest and rear young over a longer period annually than carduelines. They do not compete with estrildids in temperate climates because the tiny size of the latter limits their ability to survive cool to cold winters. For reasons yet unstudied, NA populations of OW Tree Sparrows are now expanding their range, after more than a century of quiescence as "German Sparrows". Tree Sparrows were partly protected in China for centuries by traditional belief that having them (or swallows) nest around your home was good luck. Mao sought to despense with this tradition in his "end the old" campaign. Tree Sparrows and their nestlings were occasionally eaten in East and SE Asia, but not in sufficient numbers to affect their population. I tried them as yakitori in my first visit to Japan in the early 1950s, and they are delicious when marinated and grilled, then eaten bones and all. Popular sentiment against eating wild birds has all but ended this practice in Japan. Do your own research on this story. You might be very surprised at what you discover. Meanwhile Sparrow haters here are telling me that a treeless, shrubless, paved over ecological wasteland in the UK where even House Sparrows and Common Starlings die out is a blessing because it is Sparrow and Starling free, never mind that non synanthropic native birds fare even worse, and European agencies currently rate the UK as the most nature deficient nation in Europe.
A key reason why so many introduced species of animals and plants from Europe and Asia are so 'successful' in NA is that they evolved to synanthropy in association with much older Human societies and markedly habitant altering 'civilizations' than existed in the New World. Having said this, I've studied and enjoyed far more REAL nature and biodiversity in East and SE Asia than anywhere that I've lived in Western Europe, and most of Central Europe as well. Densely populated Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong have real wild habitats and ecosystems that no country or city in Western Europe can even approach. Singapore may be the world's only fully developed high tech city that has areas of original tropical forest in nature reserves right within the heart of the city itself. Some invasives owe their success to their ability to provide food more effectively to native wildlife in other ecosystems more effectively than native counterparts. I laughed at a printed discussion of the effects of introduced plants that "distract" native pollinators and frugivores from native plants, because that is exactly what they are doing! Japanese Honeysuckle is a great nectar source for a wide array of insects, and of ripe fruits eagerly eaten by many species of birds and mammals that effectively sow its' seeds. Lantana camara and Buddleia davidii are far more attractive to most NA butterflies (Lantana camara is also a real hummingbird magnet; it is a butterfly and hummingbird pollination specialist that excludes bees, flower flies, and most other pollinating insects) than native shrubs and herbaceous plants. Lantana plants are toxic to mammals and most phytophagous insects, but the ripe fruits are very attractive to birds. Oriental Bittersweet also owes its' rampant spread in the NE US to the attractiveness of its' colorful fruits to birds. Autumn Olive and Russian Olive were actively promoted as wildlife food plants by many state wildlife agencies, one of which even published a brochure advocating planting of Autumn Olive, before the consequences of this were recognized. Native species also evolve to synanthropy, and harm other native wildlife as they become abundant. Northern Raccoons are specialist predators on nesting turtles and their nests, and group spawning frogs. Most Humans find "trash pandas" more appealing than turtles and frogs, and couldn't care less about the impact of huge Raccoon populations on these herptiles. Virginia Opossums have become synanthropes a century or so after their Black Eared Opossum congeners in Northern South America. Now Palm Civets (Marten-like viverrines that PETA labels "Civet cats" to manipulate Human ailurophiles, and for which CNN once presented photos of Pell's Fishing Cats) are evolving to synanthropy throughout their vast and ecologically diverse range in SE Asia. House Sparrows and Common Starlings are serious competitors with native NA cavity nesting birds because they are obligate cavity testers whose populations are inflated by synanthropy. House Sparrows will build domes nests in dense shrubbery if cavities are unavailable, but this drastically reduces their reproductive success. Most obligate cavity nesters will fight ferociously and often to the death for this essential resource, and many go far beyond this, as anyone who has seen female House Wrens compulsively puncture the eggs of open nesting birds such as Northern Cardinals and American Robins, or attack nestling Bluebirds, chickadees, and flycatchers, knows. Old World cavity nesters coevolved with House Sparrows (which followed Human civilizations from the Fertile Cresent) and Common Starlings. Starlings are less obligate synanthropes than House Sparrows (only South Asia has a population of P. domesticus that exists in wild ecosystems away from Human habitation), and their populations tend to fluctuate much less. Many towns and cities in the UK are so lacking in available cavities and hedges and shrubs that their House Sparrow populations are but a fraction of what they were in the 1960s. There are many videos here showing how ruthlessly Old World woodpeckers, nuthatches, Western Jackdaws, Eurasian Kestrels, and Barn Owls fight other species and rivals of their own species for nest sites. Female House Sparrows usually will not pair up with a male who does not have a nest cavity, and will usually dump a mate who loses their nest cavity in favor of an unpaired male who has a nest cavity.
@@5stardaveThe UK is now struggling to maintain their House Sparrow populations! The "ugly truth" is that most of Western Europe is a paved over ecological wasteland. All but 2% of Britain's orginal forests were destroyed centuries ago, and what is left is in Scotland, not in England.
In Brazil (South America), the substitution of Portuguese Colonial Roofs by modern, zinc-made roofs has caused the crash of the population of house sparrows. Also, there is a native species, the saffron finch, which seems to be filling the ecological (syn-anthropic) niche of the house sparrow. Saffron finches are aggressive.
I have a feeding station on my apartment balcony. Can't use seed because the sparrows fling the seeds around like an explosion! Using bird suet helps control the mess. Woodpeckers and blue jays seem to be the only birds not intimidated by a gang of sparrows. After the sparrows move off other birds will feed but sparrows are very much the little jerks in the bird world.
Here in melbourne Victoria Australia, we used to have so many House Sparrows from what I remember the 1980's to maybe 2008?! After that they all but completely disappeared of the face off this earth in my with many local birds like Rosella's/Rainbow birds making a very strong comeback. Didn't know they were regarded as somewhat as a pest species?! The pest species we have now is Myna bird which are extremely intelligent and resource in survival. I've been bitten by a house sparrow when I caught one and it pretty muck packs a punch when it pecks.
So many people would call this a dramatic leap but I understand it. Assuming anything that isn’t originally native to an area must be destroyed is horrible.
On a long trip clear around the US in 1999 I noticed that there were 3 species of bird everywhere I went. The house sparrow was literally in EVERY environment, from desert to rain forest. The other two species were a bit more selective, but still managed to inhabit pretty much every county: crow and sea gull. There are so many dams and reservoirs in the US we literally moved the north pole 40 centimeters. Some are humongous reservoirs that are blue, like the ocean. I would see sea gulls in every environment because there is always a reservoir somewhere close. Oh, and coyote. Fat brown and hairy ones in the forests, thin, gaunt and sandy colored in the deserts, and a white one near White Sands N.M. fleeing the black lava near the Trinity Test Site.
Wr have 3 species of crows and 2 species of ravens, each of which occupies a different ecological niche. The Northern Raven (Corvus corax) has evolved to synanthropy in the SW US, and is now decimating hatchling and juvenile Desert Tortoises as a result. We also have dozens of species of gulls, each of which occupies a different ecological niche. The gulls you see everywhere in the Eastern US are NA Herring Gulls (adults have a light gray mantle), while the abundant synanthropes in the West Coast are California and Hermann's Gulls (adults have a dark gray mantle).
Yes i’ve noticed that over the years as they were plentiful in the 60s where I grew up same as starlings but they have been replaced by the Indian Mynah
I never see House Sparrows far away from human habitation and buildings. Other species nesting in larger parks are unaffected by House Sparrows, since House Sparrows prefer to stay close to human-built structures.
@@BadgerlandBirdingRainbow Lorikeets are so pervasive, adapting easily to urban spaces snd pushing out smaller birds. Far more common than the imported sparrows.
About a month ago, I watched a video on your channel about how to repel these birds at feeders. Not long after, I wrote back full of gratitude for solving this problem. Happy to say, it’s still working. In case some are wondering, it describes attaching silver twine around the feeder. Might have overdone things a bit. For the full story, check the replies. In short, the birds began to mob the feeder, and attack the painted buntings. Twenty or more would cover it, squabbling, looking to me like a bunch of maggots covering a carcass, to be honest, as gristly as it sounds. The cardinals simply shoved them aside, and the blue jays easily scared them off. The buntings waited nearby. A few would get a moment to eat just after the jays, and be driven off by the sparrows in no time. When the horde would move off, massing a few feet away in a dense shrub, a female would remain, perched, for long periods throughout much of the day. Any bunting that landed to eat would be lunged at and driven off. The raids of these, in my opinion, grubby looking, ugly creatures, were depressing enough. Watching the never ending nastiness through the binoculars while at my desk was infuriating. Not to mention, they’d clear out more than a week’s food in less than one day, much of this dumped on the ground, sprouting in dense mats below and fowling the water in a nearby fountain. The birds live elsewhere, likely from ‘Calle Ocho’, a well-loved commercial area in Miami with plenty of restaurants, a few blocks away. They are mostly absent until the feeders are in use. A few come to the ground for the little bit of seed, which is fine, but the problem has been solved, at this point. Hope their solution, maybe overdone in my case, works for any others with this issue.
Read some comments and want to add one thing. In 2008 when I moved in, the yard was nothing but lawn, with two coconut trees and a clump of plantains next to the back door. I planted mainly native shrubs and trees, from Audubon Society and other native plant organization’s plant sales. At first, a few species of birds (and butterflies) were around. The yard bird list stands at 107 species, with some rare visitors (western tanager, orchard oriole, and clay-colored sparrow to name a few) and nearly 30 butterflies (including malachite and Dina sulfur). The forest that now covers the place is the reason. Does not deter the sparrows (in my area at least). Unlike most other birds, they eat none of the fruits or seeds on the plants, only present when feeders are filled. Definitely get plants native to your area! With the house sparrows, and in my yard, also collared-doves, extra things are needed.
I see more house finches than house sparrows. They did take over one of my bird houses and I have seen them nesting as early as February here in NJ. several broods a year.
Living in Michigan. I feed birds from Winter to Spring. During winter it is mostly sparrows. Since they are not native I would not feel bad if they where gone. But I am sure that will never happen. The Eco system in Michigan has been destroyed more by non native plants than animals. Other than out Great Lakes.
@@BadgerlandBirding I'm not sure that would be realistic. Would all of them have to be tested for diseases? Who would pay for this? Would it even work to achieve the intended purpose? I suppose it could be looked into, but I assume we would already be doing it if it was really a simple practical solution.
a very famous birder here in Saudi have a theory that even here in Arabia they are introduced but many hundred years ago, and their origin is India. Whatever the case with his theory the reality is that they became a lovable companions to us in our gardens, and they are living in harmony with our typical birds like the weaver, bulbul and local bee eaters. they only live in cities you don't see them once you go in the desert instead we have the black crown sparrow larks.
I am a major animal lover, now, I don’t like the ugly side of nature and how it works to survive. But the key word here is, survive. All birds will fight, peck, and sometimes kill. Some of the most awe inspiring birds’ Eagles, Hawks etc are renowned killers. But cause they are large impressive birds, people don’t react when an Eagle up and takes a baby goat, deer etc. Nature is nature and we have to take the ugly with the beauty, meet in the middle and love nature for all creatures big and small!
Long ago, I had a great-aunt who had a sparrow trap. She lived in a small rural town. I've thought of one myself. I'm in suburbia and 90%+ of the birds are House Sparrows.
I'm in New Zealand and feed birds daily. Mainly sparrows but also green finches, starlings and sometimes magpies and seagull's. The sparrows here are docile, finches are only slightly bigger and will occasionally bite sparrows. I don't get the hatred for them, they're just living beings trying to survive
They've wiped out the entire population of tiny, cute coppersmith barbets and the blue-cheeked barbets from my locality in Kolkata, India. Those birds were more pleasant to look at ngl. Also, I rarely come across an oriole these days. There's always an aesthetic criteria to things. Nobody would complain if the sparrows looked like Birds of Paradise. 😂 Sad to see the beautiful birds succumb to the wrath of sparrows. The only ones to still survive are the Indian Ringneck and bulbuls (these guys are fierce; one built a nest in the outer unit of one of our aircons).
I watched a trio of house sparrows run a robin off her nest and smash all of her eggs on the ground. That's why they are hated. They absolutely will kill anything their size or smaller, and even take on some larger birds. Sure they just try to survive, but they do it by killing anything they can even if it's not competing with them.
In Idaho my back yard has become home to 3 families of house sparrows (Approx. 40 sparrows). These house sparrows have attracted several Coopers hawks, Kestrels and a Western Screech owl. The Coopers hawks are plump and happy. I do like the house sparrows but I let nature do what nature does. A couple of the male house sparrows will peck at the fox squirrels and doves at the feeders but it doesn't usually work. One of the male house sparrows has a birth defect that's caused it to be twice the size of the other sparrows and he leads the pack as a lookout for the others. Through all the drama these house sparrows have maintained their numbers each year.
I’m old and remember House Sparrows stealing my Blue Bird houses. I haven’t had that problem in years but never gave it much thought. Glad I watched this video!
It's nearly all pigeons in the city and house sparrows in the burbs these days. As many house sparrows number in our neighborhood, the feral cats seem to have little success with them.
When I first started bird feeding 8 years ago, I had a nice plethora of birds. Cardinals, Titmice, Chickadees, House Finches, etc. Then the sparrows attacked. Took my feeders down for a bit and focused only on finch and hummingbirds. No sparrows. Around when Covid came around and was bored at home decided to get a general seed feeder at WBU. Had decent success until some old hippie neighbors moved in next door....and then there came the Sparrows. Fall of 2021 was by far my worst feeding year. Couldn't have any food out without dozens of those screaming flying rats hogging it all. Decided to start trapping. Trapped about 80 of them and cleared them out, they vanished! It took weeks if not over 2 months for my native birds to start coming back to my feeders. It was a miracle seeing a chickadee for the 1st time in forever. Since then, I have aggressively started trapping every Spring and Fall and have cleared out over 400+ house sparrows. Thankfully I live in semi-rural Central Texas butting up to a large tract of wild oak savanna, couldn't imagine the misery of trying to trap in a much more urban environment. Since then, I have counted nearly 4 dozen species of visitors to my bird feeders. Painted Buntings, Summer Tanagers, Orchard Orioles, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Phoebes, Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Dark-Eyed Juncos, etc and many more can now eat, nest, and bathe in peace. Amazing what trimming the "weeds" can do for your bird garden!
@@ripperrex7883 You cause literally thousands of times more damage to the local wildlife than hundreds of house sparrows put together. When do the local alligators get their greasy, rotund snack?
@@HuckleberryHim While yes, it is the fault of people that House Sparrows are here, I believe in accountability for rectifying out mistakes. It was a dire mistake to have brought them here (newspaper articles from the 1890's were even putting bounties on them and realized what a pest they are). People yes, are capable of doing bad things, but the duality of man is that we are capable of doing a lot of good also. Human beings are capable of anything if they put their minds to it. Have a great day :)
@@ripperrex7883 You missed the point. YOU personally, existing, having a home, consuming, are directly causing huge damage to the world around you everyday. Yet you hold a double standard. The lives of "destructive" house sparrows must be ended with prejudice, while humans, who cause vastly more destruction, get as many second chances as they like.
@AriannaEmer Their thrasher cousins outcompete them and drive them off in your area. In a more suitable climate, shrubs and trees that offer winter berries for Mockers are a big plus, both females and males will maintain territories (but not pair bonds) year round if winter food is available. Note that many such plants are themselves potentially invasive. Possible choices include 'English' Holly, American Holly, Burford Holly, Pyracantha, Mountain Ash (Rowan), Goumi, Buckthorn, Hawthorns, and Autumn Olive. Many of these plants are very ornamental as well, but none will thrive in desert areas.
No wonder peak population was in the 1960's about when I was born. I've been watching house sparrows fight viciously for minutes on end, ever since I was old enough to watch birds. It's usually two males egged on by a female, obviously fighting over a bird house, or the female. Often times the brawls involve five or so. Not sure what's going on there. The Hatfields and McCoys?
They used to be a very common bird here in the UK where they are native to. Intensive farming is reducing their numbers massively . I absolutely love them and feed them every day
One time in the 80's my family took a trip to my aunt's farm. My cousin was standing on the porch shooting his 22 rifle into a humongous tree. I asked what he was doing, he said be was shooting house sparrows because they were an invasive species. I asked if he was actually hitting any from 75 feet away, no scope, no laser, no tripod, just standing there. Yes, yes, of course he was. His type won the Revolutionary War. His type are why the Civil War had 660,000 deaths, half on each side.
they tend to be more prevalent around areas that have those new apartment buildings and shopping plazas that are mostly empty after 2008 and not as much the more rural you go. those places are already bad and should go in favor of reforesting. the system needs a bop on the back of the set to jostle the cords around inside. I would rather have our bluebirds back instead of these overgrown pet store finches.
As a south american birdwatcher i really have house sparrow, i see a lot of different birds around my house, like House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, Monk Parakeets, Austral Thrush, Southern House Wren, Tufted Tyt-Tyrant, Chilean Mockingbird, Common Diuca Finch, Black Chinned Siskin, Plain-Mantled Tit-Spinetail, Picui Ground Dove, Austral Blackbird and Shiny Cowbird, and what ever i see house sparrow i don't tent to see any other bird, mainly pigeons/doves and thrush but not other birds, but if i don't see any house sparrow i see a lot of group of birds, mostly small birds like House Wren, Tit-Spinetail, Tyt-Tyrant and Rufuos Collares Sparrows
The neighbor of my cousin has a big carport and the sparrows would perch at the topmost board during the night. There was bird poop all over the floor. That neighbor bought some mouse glue traps and secured them way up there...........................PROBLEM SOLVED!
I used to put out bird feeders in my yard, but ever since i saw only house sparrows eating the seed, i took the feeders down. I see no point in benefiting an invasive species
0:56 Your statement here is the whole point of this video. The house sparrow's habitat includes Europe, large parts of Asia and some of Africa, and is not an introduced species on any of those continents. Your video is America-centric.
sparrows are just animals like everyone else. they are neither good nor bad, no animal ever thinks about the other. whether you like them or not, they are just surviving!
The idea of a “right” or “wrong” species in an area is alarmingly disturbing. We shouldn’t nullify the sentience of a species by where it “belongs”. Besides, there’s no getting rid of them. Nature one way or another will eventually adapt.
House Sparrows are great adapters. I am a gardener, and I have seen for myself! When I lived in Colorado, they found that my pea plants were enjoyable and proceeded to eat the young seedlings right to the ground. I live in Arizona now, and along with their house finch friends, decimate almost any young plants that contain a little water in their leaves. They can destroy a whole young garden in a day!! I have never seen them eat any insects, no saving graces!!
I noticed this year all the house sparrows that frequent my yard took a 3 week vacation this summer. There all back now as well as cardinals blue jays woodpeckers.
I did not know they are native, originally to the US. They are quite abounded in the NE! They do compete vigorously with other spices, except the morning doves who appear to be the Canberra of the avian world. The sparrows bicker vigorously with each other which is quite loud. The calm down quite a bit when familiar neighbors are around and become dead quiet when strangers or cats are present. They like pigeons delicate everywhere. The forsythia where they hang out loves the fertilization, as if they need it to grow out of control.
HSP are only slightly annoying in my area (rural Ohio) in the winter. Starlings are a much bigger problem for me. If I could choose to permanently dispatch a species, it would be the starling!
Had a booming population where I live here in the UK, for many years in rural area. Unfortunately this year they have all but disappeared which is a mystery. Cannot figure out what has happened and is somewhat worrying trend since they are not the only species to decline drastically.
House sparrows were quite common in Australia apart from Western Australia as they introduced them here, too. They have declined to the point now that you rarely see them. 🇦🇺
I had starlings and house sparrows try to move in on my property. I hate killing but I did away with the babies a couple years in a row and they all moved out. I dislike the sound of the house sparrows, I hear them in most every movie ever made, makes me sad.
@@novampires223 Don’t take it personal, I find this view of life very black and white and rather horrifying. I’d respond to literally anyone that does things like that.
They have taken over my bluebird boxes here in South Jersey. I try chasing them off but to no avail. I'll try what one of your readers suggested, I'll take the boxes down.
Sparrows are fascinating birds. Tons of myths associated with them, including the belief that they gather the souls of the dead and fly them to heaven. They’re also believed to sense the arrival of a new soul to this earth when a baby is born. I’ve been seeing house sparrows and other types for many years in my yard, and almost every day in the fall and winter , right after sunset, I see a group of close to 10 house sparrows and other types of sparrows arriving at my backyard at the same time as several cardinals to eat the nuts and seeds I throw out there for them, and they all get along just fine. I’ve been observing this behavior for perhaps 8 years.
Luckily we live on quite a few aches of forest so my feeders and my bluebirds aren't effected by the House Sparrows... but go to the edge of the property, and right next door at my neighbors (where the land turns a bit more suburban) suddenly you can hear the House Sparrows. Its amazing how much they don't like forests but love living in and around man-made structures!
Less predators, but more cats. Fairly large mowed areas. Dogs unconcerned about them, the sparrows, but repellant to other animals. Concentrated food. Water bath. Human's car for bombing entertainment.
The European Starling is another invasive species in North America. A fan of playwright William Shakespeare wanted to have every bird that Shakespeare mentioned in his works established in America. The Starling's introduction to the continent actually failed more than once. Finally, they took hold and the rest is history! 🐣
That’s actually not really correct about Eugene Scheifflein (the guy that introduced the Starling). A writer mentioned him bringing the birds of Shakespeare to the US in a tongue in cheek way. That idea stuck and spread to the point where people started believing it. There’s no actual evidence that he even cared about Shakespeare one way or another
@@BadgerlandBirding Thank you for setting me straight. 😊 I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Illinois. My favorite course was ORNITHOLOGY. One of the Teaching Assistants told me that factoid about thirty-four (34) years ago and apparently, I have been perpetuating the myth ever since! 🫢The professor was friends with a curator at THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY in Chicago, IL. We took a field trip there and got to go "behind the scenes" to see how they make the exhibits. However they get the specimens, they place them in a tank filled with beetle larvae. The larvae make quick work of stripping the flesh from the bone. A "form" is made of the bird from wire and Styrofoam. The skin with feathers is taken from the tank and stretched over the Styrofoam form. Eyes and other details are added to make a life-like display. Sometimes the bones are assembled for a "skeletal display. The birds on display at any given time are only a fraction of the museums total collection. The majority of the birds are stored in cabinet drawers in the backrooms. 🐦
I would love to know how to eradicate them from our community, but there are too many people feeding them and allowing them to take over bluebird boxes. I’ve limited our bird feeding to safflower seed and a bottom feeder suet station. Still they come and pick up crumbs fallen from the bottom feeder. My most successful trap is the one that fits inside a bluebird house. House sparrows can enter and not escape; blue birds cannot get in. However it seems more come to replace the fallen. What to do?! Thx for video.
You can’t and you shouldn’t. People assume they know everything about the environment and that they should fix what they destroyed. Just like they used to think bringing a species will have no impact.
You do realize that eliminated them from North America would be virtually impossible right you understand that they’re here to stay not sure my friend at least not in Ohio there’s enough sparrows where I live to repopulate the whole planet my friend to check your info
If you enjoyed this video, you have to check out this deeper dive into House Sparrows and their impact in the United States! ua-cam.com/video/BGulfjlwPgY/v-deo.html
A year ago, they absolutely invaded my property and took complete control of the houses and feeders. The chickadees and bluebirds moved away, but not far away. I withdrew food and most of the housing for a solid spring + summer season and most of them left. Thankfully, the chickadees, nuthatches and titmouses all came back this year (the chickadees love me and the young ones are not scared of me at all -- they eat from my hand). So far, I've only seen the occasional house sparrow, but I know they'll be back with the juncos for winter.
Love your channel, thanks!
That's why pellet rifles are sold. I recommend calling Pyramyd Air.
@@senatorjosephmccarthy2720 A daisy red rider bb gun is perfect sparrow medicine.
@@senatorjosephmccarthy2720 Agree! Also trapping works wonders!
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. House sparrows used to be very common here. Since people have have been landscaping with native plants, house sparrow numbers here have crashed. They were most commonly found around dairys. Dairys in the area have closed. I don't know how they are doing in the rest of the country.
Interesting!
There's plenty in chicago come get some.
They are not a sparrow. They are a Weavers finch.
@@billhinkle1653Anglophone Humans have called P. domesticus "the Sparrow" long before they knew of the existence of the 'true' Sparrows of the New World. Passer spp. are no longer considered Weaver Finches (Ploceidae); on the basis of recent DNA sequencing work, they are now assigned to their own family (Passeridae). One superficial difference is that Weaver Finches all actually weave their nests, while Passeridae don't.
I have witnessed this behavior many times. I built swallow nest boxes for a brother in-law in Wyoming only to have House Sparrows come in and wipe out the swallows and take over the nest box. I ended up having to modify the entrance to the box by making the opening smaller so the sparrows couldn't get inside but the swallow's still can. I've also seen them over run my bird feeders with so many sparrows coming in that the other smaller finches and Juncos are intimidated away.
Sounds about right!
That's why the airgun shotgun was invented. Not affiliated, Pyramyd Air Co. know much.
Thank you for letting us know a way to keep sparrows out of a bird house that is intended for other species!
I don't like House Sparrows, they've been decimating the local swallow population in my area.
One of our mated pair of swallows had their young decimated leaving only one fledgling alive.
And we fear one of the parents dead since we noticed that one of the parents that we saw so far appeared to have gone through a horrible ordeal.
To make matters worse, the sparrows have begun to burrow into the left side of the building. I haven't seen many swallows after that and I fear they were all killed by the sparrows.
It's odd, because the cats in the area ONLY go after both sparrows and pigeons. I've seen more sparrows killed than pigeons. I don't hate the sparrows, but they are decimating the native birds in my area.
They are an invasive species.
I have what others have called a bird sanctuary. I have seen them chase off white breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, black capped chickadees, and even ruby-throated hummingbirds, I've also seen them attack a very young cardinal. It does upset me to see my VIP guest get treated that way. If they regard a bird as competition, they will try to run that bird out of my yard. How to remedy this? Make or buy feeders that house sparrows can't access, but other birds can. That way they won't see the other birds as eating their food as competition because they won't be able to access it anyways. In a short time, they'll figure out that the hummingbird isn't after their food but that new feeder, and then they'll leave the new tiny bird alone. House sparrows can be very violent when it comes to nesting sites, but they are that way with themselves as well. And it isn't house sparrows alone that can be violent, mostly any bird will fight for a nesting spot (including your favorite cute one). Wrens and chickadees don't act so cute when they are fighting for a box or a cavity. House sparrows aren't alone in how they act, but that doesn't mean that they don't impact native species. Despite house sparrows chasing birds away if they see them as competition, they can also attract birds to the yard because other birds will notice them and follow along. The way people hate or love animals is often times very illogical, and often more about favoritism. Cats have killed 63 species to extinction and have put another 360 on the endangered list, as well as giving 11% of the human population toxoplasmosis in the USA, yet because of favoritism, they get a pass for their extreme destruction. People also often don't look at the big picture, people are rightfully upset about P'nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon being euthanized, yet if you tell them that on average, 55 million wildlife are killed each day in the USA because of outside and feral cats, they won't get upset. The land of the USA has been debated as to which animals have rights to it. The general public want to give it to what they find as cute or to their pets, and scientists in this field would usually favor the native ecosystem and want to preserve it as nature made it.
The cat thing is a huge problem that everyone who loves wildlife SHOULD agree on yet somehow it’s a controversial topic
@@BadgerlandBirdingSome people are extremely selfish, so, unreasonable.
@@BadgerlandBirding Yep, I never understood what there is to debate about. Cats are so incredibly destructive to environments they are not native to. If you like your cute little cats, just keep them inside. But, everyone constantly argues against that saying, "my little mittens needs time outside!!" No, your little mittens does not. Your little mittens wants to kill native wildlife for fun. I'm very tired of this double standard because people find a species to be cute.
@@mircetkelp I have neighbors next door like that and they've lost 3 cats to coyotes already.
@@ripperrex7883 All the more reason to keep them inside.
I had a nest of gray flycatchers in my birdbox; One day I saw I saw a house sparrow male fly in. Later found the babies scattered all over my yard, there was one survivor missing its little eye that I managed to rescue and return to its mother; however I doubt it survived long with one eye.
That is quite sad :( That's the experience a lot of people have had with House Sparrows
While I appreciate your inclusion of truth #5, I have to take issue with your use of the term "cold-blooded killer." I am very familiar with the research and reports of house sparrows targeting other cavity nesting species and fully agree that, in general, invasive species are a bad thing and should be dealt with. My problem with the house sparrow situation is that I've hardly heard articulated a single productive and plausible plan for dealing with house sparrows, and instead constantly hear the cavalier use of entirely inappropriate, anthropomorphic language to describe them, e.g., cold-blooded killers, satan's spawn, murderers, etc.
It's possible that the house sparrow situation is not remediable through cost-effective means that wouldn't also involve dealing massive blows to native avian species population, and that's something we need to reckon with. Occasionally someone will mention certain tricks and tips to keep them off backyard feeders, but I'd love to hear about strategies for "righting the wrongs" of a species that has had more than 150 years to cement itself in North America's ecological web. Remember, this problem is OUR fault; not the house sparrows'.
I acknowledge that many of the people using moralized language to describe house sparrows are speaking from the pain of personally having had a house sparrow invade their bluebird boxes, and I can somewhat empathize. If a coyote killed my cat, I'd certainly hate that coyote. But overall, I believe that the objectively inappropriate anthropomorphic, moralized language that people use to describe house sparrows is, at best, a half-hearted effort to bring attention to invasive species, and at worst, a divisive force among the birding community that alienates those that appreciate them for their merits (such as myself), and even discourages potential new birders from joining the community.
Let's be intellectually honest, people. Badgerland Birding, I absolutely love your work and overall, this is a well-made, impartial video that presents the facts accurately and without bias. I had to quibble about the cold-blooded killers comment because I am entirely opposed to ascribing human moral standards to animals. And I am especially opposed to doing so in response to losing a bluebird box, rather than in response to the actual, scientifically verifiable impact of invasive species. As far as invasive species go, however, we have bigger fish to fry than the house sparrow (pun intended) and I don't see NEARLY as much anger directed towards the feral swine, the Burmese python, the asian carp, or even the European starling! I wonder why that is.
Re: "... (pun intended) and I don't see NEARLY as much anger...": the ubiquity of that gangster spp. It's everywhere on our continent, much like the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). And, we don't see a starling competing with a chickadee or blue bird for a nesting box or site, correct us if we're wrong.
@ that doesn’t mean the starling’s impact is any less severe, it’s just less emotionally charged, which is sort of my point. We are maligning and demonizing the house sparrow more than other objectively MORE invasive species simply because the house sparrow’s impact is more emotionally charged (e.g., invading bluebird boxes), NOT because it’s actually the most harmful invasive species.
European starlings are aggressive & do compete for nest sites with our native birds. While they can’t use a nestbox with an appropriately sized entrance hole (1 1/2”) for bluebirds, they will take over nestboxes designed for woodpeckers, kestrels, & screech owls. I’ve seen them in wood duck houses as well. Unfortunately they also take over natural cavities that native birds use, impacting numerous species.
Thanks for the comment! The entire video was made in response to comments on other videos that A) were people saying House Sparrows would never hurt any other creature. B) people saying that House Sparrows are pure evil. In reality neither is true so we wanted to shed a light on the fact that most of these ideas are not accurate. The cold blooded killer line is part sensationalizing/hyperbolizing but also pointing out that these birds have no qualms about ending the life of other creatures (which is true of most animals).
In regards to strategies for management: nobody has come up with anything on a large scale but they have had success with small scale management where needed. House Sparrows have been here so long there’s no way to get rid of them.
I think people focus on House Sparrows as “enemies” because they see them at home more than Asian Carp, or Pythons although both of those species are legitimate ecological disasters.
Some animals(us included) adapt very quickly in many environments so it shouldn't come as a surprise there are animals and plants out there that does the exact same thing we do. After all we humans are probably the most aggressive invasive species this planet has ever seen. When everything goes sideways in our world you know exactly what animal/plant species that will follow us to the very end - the ones that have adapted to living alongside us in our cities. You can't blame animals for something we've done, they're opportunistic just like we are and trying to solve a problem that we've created is bound to cause even more problems down the line. Every time we interfere things go bad, it's the way things are when we get involved.
Like any invasive species they didn't ask to be there like you said just trying to survive like native animals
Indeed!
Yep, as usual, it's humanity's fault once again. Basically, we have only our ancestors to blame.
@JoshTrager-j9g Sad but true
A huge reason the rabid hatred and genocide of invasive species really disturbs me. In the vast majority of cases they’re impossible to remove once established and it’s meaningless, hateful cruelty.
If the UK needs them ship them ours.
All in favor….
@@BadgerlandBirding ✋
UK populations of House Sparrows are struggling due to loss of nesting sites, collapse of insect populations (parent House Sparrows can't even gather aphids to supplement the food of their nestlings and fledglings!), pathogens, predation by resurgence populations of Tawny Owls, Eurasian Kestrels, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, Common Gulls, Gray Herons, Eurasian Magpies, Western Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Rooks, and even Eurasian Jays.
Increasingly, town and village developments and renovations in the UK and much of Continental Europe replace shrubs, trees, and grass with pavement, blacktop, and concrete. Trees that foster nesting and roosting birds are viewed as a nuisance by many planners and are removed as such. Even populations of the less synanthropic Common Starling in the UK have overall fallen sharply since the 1960s.
@@BadgerlandBirding Aye!!!
@@Shadowbannedandcensored Less sparrows and starlings? Count your blessings!
Here in north Texas my wife and I lived in an apartment for a few years, these guys were soo bad about getting inside the dryer outlet vents and buildings nests. 3 separate years we had babies climb all the way through the dryer vent and into our dryer. We would always place them in a shoe box and put them on the patio. The mother would always find them. 🤦♂️🤣
Look for these inside your airport when you travel
My wife saw one in Ohara a couple of weeks ago along with 2 Starlings.
True facts!
Encountered some in Terminal 1 at O'Hare back in early November lol
As long as they and starling don't fill the plane with nesting material 😊 Most Airports have Falconers or other types of Bird abatement .
They seem to get into large warehouse-type buildings in industrial parks and warehouse stores, too. Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Sam's Club.
The fact that they're so widespread actually tells a lot about them. I live in Kolkata, India, and my place is visited by all sorts of birds ranging from Indian Ringnecks, Magpies, Bulbuls, etc., but the most abundant bird over here is the house sparrow as well. Just imagine-the house sparrow has (or rather had) a lot of competition in the wild. Coppersmith barbets, finches, etc. would all prefer to make nests within holes of trees. But they're not as abundant as the house sparrows are. That itself justifies the fact that they're onto dark stuff. Only two other birds have mastered conquering nature: Crows (due to their unmatched intelligence) and pigeons (urbanscape is a sweet spot for them to nest-no competition at all for a bird that lays eggs on plant tubs). None of them have direct competitors for space, but the sparrows do. All the more reason for them to be dark little bastards.
My kids called them McDonald's Sparrows back in the 80s. I started Project Feederwatch around 2000 and their numbers were greatest in 2004-5. But steadily declined until only one yard sighting in the past 12 years, despite their presence at the McDonalds just three blocks away. Central Ontario.
I live in North Texas and I have not seen many Sparrow in my backyard. I just see a few feral cats, squirrels, Blue Jays and Crows.
I think this whole issue is actually pretty simple. House sparrows almost exclusively occur in proximity to humans. You will not see house sparrows in wild woodlands. They are hardcore synanthropes, associates of humans, as they've been for many thousands of years.
I think house sparrows are just a vanishingly minor symptom of the real problem: humans. It is amazing to me that people can be screaming "these damn non-native, environmentally destructive birds!" and when you zoom out they're surrounded by humans and human infrastructure. It's hard to be more oblivious.
Haha, I fully agree with you, but both in the absence of, and in the presence of non native synanthropes, native species can and do also evolve to synanthropy. At most, previously evolved synanthropes from elsewhere only slow down this process, as Northern Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, American Robins, Brown Headed Cowbirds, Gray Catbirds, Canada Geese, Red Foxes, etc make clear. The Giant Canada Goose (Branta canadensis maxima) was hunted to near endangered status during the 19th century, now most of the very big honkers you see in parks, golf courses, etc. in much of the Eastern and Central US are descended from maxima.
I was born in 1960 in Tampa, Florida. As a I grew up there were Sparrows everywhere!
In the early 2000 there were hardly any, now there are none as far as I can tell.
I moved to Houston in 2024 and they are very abundant here.
I was unaware of their bad side.
Florida had huge populations of feral Budgerigars that crashed during the end of the 1960s from viral diseases that are now endemic among domestic Budgerigars in most of the world. As Florida has been a major hub for 'exotic' cage and aviary bird imports, many new (to NA) host generalist pathogens that can kill House Sparrows such as VVNC came with them. I laughed when I read that the Budgie wipeout in Florida "was possibly due to competition with the European Starling"; Budgies went feral in great abundance nearly a century after the Common Starling became established in Florida, which now has lots of non native psittacines plus exotic passerines such as Red Whiskered Bulbuls and assorted estrildids.
Mao had the Chinese eradicate sparrows because they ate some of their grain. The result was a massive famine.
Why? Because those same sparrows would eat small grasshoppers too, keeping their numbers down so that they didn't turn into a swarm of locust that ate all the grain. Sometimes the ugly truth is that we actually need animals that at first glance appear to be detrimental.
Not when they're alien to the habitat. They must be removed or the balance will forever be lost.
I knew someone would repeat this story. The Sparrows Mao tried to eradicate are Old World Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus), not the larger and more synanthropic House Sparrow. P. montanus and P. domesticus both occur in South Asia, and P. montanus replaces the House Sparrow in East and most of SE Asia. They were also introduced in St. Louis during the 19th century but until recently spread little, and are known locally as "German Sparrows".
Correlation does not equal causality. P. montanus is NOT an efficient predator on insects generally, and has minimal effect on locust populations. Giant Neotropical Toads were introduced to Hawaii to control Sugarcane Beetles, and coincidentally populations of these insects declined a few years later. The result was that "Cane Toads" were introduced to Australia and Southeast Asia as a 'biological control' for the Cane Beetle. These insects live as subterranean larvae feeding on Sugarcane roots, then after their also subterranean pupal stage, emerge from the soil and move to the upper levels of the Sugarcane to feed on foliage. It is only during the brief period that they leave the soil, that they are subject to toad predation. So Rhinella marina is an ineffective predator on Cane Beetles.
Old World Tree Sparrows are inefficient predators on insects, and gather these in significant quantities only when feeding young. They are not adapted to prey on locusts past the insects' first nymphal stage, since their short conical seedeater bills afford them no protection against the locusts' defensive kicking at birds' faces and eyes with their spiny jumping legs. There are very good reasons why primarily and secondarily insectivorous birds usually have longer bills relative to their overall size than seedeaters.
The story goes that Mao's anti Tree Sparrow campaign led to a locust plague that caused massive famine in China. The famine was real and cost the lives of millions, including extended family members of two unrelated Han friends of mine now living in Singapore. However, when I checked records for international Locust monitoring agencies for this time period, I could find NO records of any of the three different locust species capable of population explosions in China actually undergoing such an outbreak. There were NO records of locust outbreaks in China during the period AT ALL.
Many birds native to China and elsewhere are far more efficient predators of insects including locusts than Old World Tree Sparrows. A disproportionate number of these efficient locust predators are members of the Sturnidae, including the much despised Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis, Indian Myna in Australia) and the Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus), which drastically increases its' reproductive rate during locust population explosions. However, locust plagues and their gregarious phase are triggered by atypically high survivorship among locust egg pods and early instar nymphs due to favorable weather conditions that are neither too wet and/or cool (which triggers disease outbreaks), nor too dry (which inhibits plant growth on which locusts feed). Avian predation on locusts is much more visible than the effects of harmful weather, but it is less important in limiting or preventing locust plagues than unfavorable weather and pathogens.
To repeat, correlation does not equal causality, and confusion between the two is why 'Cane Toads' are now super evolving in Australia. And Old World Tree Sparrows are NOT efficient predators on locusts. YT is hiding my second post here; tap on the "Newest" option in the Comments bar.
@@Arend-q8p Is this your own article, or did you copy it from somewhere? It does sound compelling? The Wikipedia article on the subject that disagrees with you, and it also sounds compelling. They cite a "Discover Magazine" article on the subject.
You may be right about the sparrows, but I think you will still in general agree with the old margarine commercial, "It's not good to fool mother nature". (Still, I think we should give eradicating the biting mosquito a try.)
@Mark16v15 Wikipedia banned me from their discussions for 4 years because I posted a very polite breakdown of their "Mao and the (Tree) Sparrow" article. I discovered this only after I tried to post a completely neutral discussion about Allium giganteum, a wild member of the Onion family from west Asia that until recently was extensively cultivated in the Netherlands as an ornamental flower bulb.
That post is 100% my own. I'm a 77 year old retired biologist born in the US who lived extensively in Europe and East and Southeast Asia. You can verify my comments about locust outbreaks in China during Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' very easily on your own. The insects that Tree Sparrows gather for their nestlings and fledglings are soft bodied defenseless homoptera such as aphids and leafhoppers, not spiny legged, kicking 2nd instar and up locust nymphs with tough exoskeleton. And to repeat, weather conditions and associated pathogen epizootics, and plant growth are the main factors preventing locust plagues, not Sparrows, or the more insectivorous mynas and Starlings.
Mao was a science illiterate peasant who knew nearly nothing about the outside world. With the departure of Angela Merkel and the abdiction of Japan's figurehead Emperor Akihito (whom I greatly admire, he has a PhD in biology), the only major head of state today with a science degree is Mao's current successor. Xi Jinping has a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, and an honorary degree in Agricultural Science from University of Iowa.
The only areas in the world today where House Sparrows are not obligate synanthropes are in India, where House and Tree Sparrows are both undergoing severe population declines from steadily worsening episodic air pollution. OW Tree Sparrows are smaller than House Sparrows and adult males and females look alike. They are obligate cavity nesters, and are as ruthless as nearly all cavity nesting birds are in seeking and defending nesting cavities. Tree Sparrows are both synanthropes, and thriving away from anthropogenic habitats throughout their range, unlike House Sparrows.
Unlike cardueline finches, Passer Sparrows do not efficiently utilize semiripe seeds to rear their young, but as a result, can nest and rear young over a longer period annually than carduelines. They do not compete with estrildids in temperate climates because the tiny size of the latter limits their ability to survive cool to cold winters. For reasons yet unstudied, NA populations of OW Tree Sparrows are now expanding their range, after more than a century of quiescence as "German Sparrows".
Tree Sparrows were partly protected in China for centuries by traditional belief that having them (or swallows) nest around your home was good luck. Mao sought to despense with this tradition in his "end the old" campaign. Tree Sparrows and their nestlings were occasionally eaten in East and SE Asia, but not in sufficient numbers to affect their population. I tried them as yakitori in my first visit to Japan in the early 1950s, and they are delicious when marinated and grilled, then eaten bones and all. Popular sentiment against eating wild birds has all but ended this practice in Japan.
Do your own research on this story. You might be very surprised at what you discover. Meanwhile Sparrow haters here are telling me that a treeless, shrubless, paved over ecological wasteland in the UK where even House Sparrows and Common Starlings die out is a blessing because it is Sparrow and Starling free, never mind that non synanthropic native birds fare even worse, and European agencies currently rate the UK as the most nature deficient nation in Europe.
Congrats on hitting 40k! Keep up the great birding 🦆
Thanks so much! Appreciate you!
Who would have guessed that European birds behave like European humans.
Shots fired
A key reason why so many introduced species of animals and plants from Europe and Asia are so 'successful' in NA is that they evolved to synanthropy in association with much older Human societies and markedly habitant altering 'civilizations' than existed in the New World.
Having said this, I've studied and enjoyed far more REAL nature and biodiversity in East and SE Asia than anywhere that I've lived in Western Europe, and most of Central Europe as well. Densely populated Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong have real wild habitats and ecosystems that no country or city in Western Europe can even approach. Singapore may be the world's only fully developed high tech city that has areas of original tropical forest in nature reserves right within the heart of the city itself.
Some invasives owe their success to their ability to provide food more effectively to native wildlife in other ecosystems more effectively than native counterparts. I laughed at a printed discussion of the effects of introduced plants that "distract" native pollinators and frugivores from native plants, because that is exactly what they are doing!
Japanese Honeysuckle is a great nectar source for a wide array of insects, and of ripe fruits eagerly eaten by many species of birds and mammals that effectively sow its' seeds. Lantana camara and Buddleia davidii are far more attractive to most NA butterflies (Lantana camara is also a real hummingbird magnet; it is a butterfly and hummingbird pollination specialist that excludes bees, flower flies, and most other pollinating insects) than native shrubs and herbaceous plants. Lantana plants are toxic to mammals and most phytophagous insects, but the ripe fruits are very attractive to birds. Oriental Bittersweet also owes its' rampant spread in the NE US to the attractiveness of its' colorful fruits to birds. Autumn Olive and Russian Olive were actively promoted as wildlife food plants by many state wildlife agencies, one of which even published a brochure advocating planting of Autumn Olive, before the consequences of this were recognized.
Native species also evolve to synanthropy, and harm other native wildlife as they become abundant. Northern Raccoons are specialist predators on nesting turtles and their nests, and group spawning frogs. Most Humans find "trash pandas" more appealing than turtles and frogs, and couldn't care less about the impact of huge Raccoon populations on these herptiles. Virginia Opossums have become synanthropes a century or so after their Black Eared Opossum congeners in Northern South America. Now Palm Civets (Marten-like viverrines that PETA labels "Civet cats" to manipulate Human ailurophiles, and for which CNN once presented photos of Pell's Fishing Cats) are evolving to synanthropy throughout their vast and ecologically diverse range in SE Asia.
House Sparrows and Common Starlings are serious competitors with native NA cavity nesting birds because they are obligate cavity testers whose populations are inflated by synanthropy. House Sparrows will build domes nests in dense shrubbery if cavities are unavailable, but this drastically reduces their reproductive success. Most obligate cavity nesters will fight ferociously and often to the death for this essential resource, and many go far beyond this, as anyone who has seen female House Wrens compulsively puncture the eggs of open nesting birds such as Northern Cardinals and American Robins, or attack nestling Bluebirds, chickadees, and flycatchers, knows.
Old World cavity nesters coevolved with House Sparrows (which followed Human civilizations from the Fertile Cresent) and Common Starlings. Starlings are less obligate synanthropes than House Sparrows (only South Asia has a population of P. domesticus that exists in wild ecosystems away from Human habitation), and their populations tend to fluctuate much less. Many towns and cities in the UK are so lacking in available cavities and hedges and shrubs that their House Sparrow populations are but a fraction of what they were in the 1960s. There are many videos here showing how ruthlessly Old World woodpeckers, nuthatches, Western Jackdaws, Eurasian Kestrels, and Barn Owls fight other species and rivals of their own species for nest sites. Female House Sparrows usually will not pair up with a male who does not have a nest cavity, and will usually dump a mate who loses their nest cavity in favor of an unpaired male who has a nest cavity.
@@Shadowbannedandcensored sounds like European humans.
@@5stardaveThe UK is now struggling to maintain their House Sparrow populations! The "ugly truth" is that most of Western Europe is a paved over ecological wasteland. All but 2% of Britain's orginal forests were destroyed centuries ago, and what is left is in Scotland, not in England.
In Brazil (South America), the substitution of Portuguese Colonial Roofs by modern, zinc-made roofs has caused the crash of the population of house sparrows. Also, there is a native species, the saffron finch, which seems to be filling the ecological (syn-anthropic) niche of the house sparrow. Saffron finches are aggressive.
Well when they came to my feeders they are maniacs.They fly around like crazy eat fast and throw seeds everywhere. My other birds do not like them.
That’s kind of their go-to move lol
I have a feeding station on my apartment balcony. Can't use seed because the sparrows fling the seeds around like an explosion! Using bird suet helps control the mess. Woodpeckers and blue jays seem to be the only birds not intimidated by a gang of sparrows. After the sparrows move off other birds will feed but sparrows are very much the little jerks in the bird world.
Please do an extended version guys! THANKS!
They did one a bit ago that's a bit more extensive: ua-cam.com/video/BGulfjlwPgY/v-deo.html
I put soooooo much time into the research for this one too. It was really fascinating to learn about
@@BadgerlandBirding I'd really like to hear about the cause of the population declines. Is that included in your other video?
@@Oltoir Thanks friend
@@BadgerlandBirding Thanks friend, LOVE what you do.
A couple Repeating Elevator Traps strategically placed will do wonders and it's a constant battle
Here in melbourne Victoria Australia, we used to have so many House Sparrows from what I remember the 1980's to maybe 2008?! After that they all but completely disappeared of the face off this earth in my with many local birds like Rosella's/Rainbow birds making a very strong comeback. Didn't know they were regarded as somewhat as a pest species?! The pest species we have now is Myna bird which are extremely intelligent and resource in survival. I've been bitten by a house sparrow when I caught one and it pretty muck packs a punch when it pecks.
Are non-native folk invasive species in the US too?
So many people would call this a dramatic leap but I understand it. Assuming anything that isn’t originally native to an area must be destroyed is horrible.
On a long trip clear around the US in 1999 I noticed that there were 3 species of bird everywhere I went. The house sparrow was literally in EVERY environment, from desert to rain forest.
The other two species were a bit more selective, but still managed to inhabit pretty much every county: crow and sea gull.
There are so many dams and reservoirs in the US we literally moved the north pole 40 centimeters. Some are humongous reservoirs that are blue, like the ocean. I would see sea gulls in every environment because there is always a reservoir somewhere close.
Oh, and coyote. Fat brown and hairy ones in the forests, thin, gaunt and sandy colored in the deserts, and a white one near White Sands N.M. fleeing the black lava near the Trinity Test Site.
Wr have 3 species of crows and 2 species of ravens, each of which occupies a different ecological niche. The Northern Raven (Corvus corax) has evolved to synanthropy in the SW US, and is now decimating hatchling and juvenile Desert Tortoises as a result.
We also have dozens of species of gulls, each of which occupies a different ecological niche. The gulls you see everywhere in the Eastern US are NA Herring Gulls (adults have a light gray mantle), while the abundant synanthropes in the West Coast are California and Hermann's Gulls (adults have a dark gray mantle).
Ok, I'm going watching the full version of explanation, but start from now, our family will stop giving them seeds
The used to be very common in Australia but you only seem to see them in shopping center food courts these days.
Yes i’ve noticed that over the years as they were plentiful in the 60s where I grew up same as starlings but they have been replaced by the Indian Mynah
I never see House Sparrows far away from human habitation and buildings. Other species nesting in larger parks are unaffected by House Sparrows, since House Sparrows prefer to stay close to human-built structures.
In Australia, they get pushed around by our more aggressive Noisy Miners and Lorikeets
That's interesting to hear!
@@BadgerlandBirdingRainbow Lorikeets are so pervasive, adapting easily to urban spaces snd pushing out smaller birds. Far more common than the imported sparrows.
About a month ago, I watched a video on your channel about how to repel these birds at feeders. Not long after, I wrote back full of gratitude for solving this problem. Happy to say, it’s still working. In case some are wondering, it describes attaching silver twine around the feeder. Might have overdone things a bit. For the full story, check the replies.
In short, the birds began to mob the feeder, and attack the painted buntings. Twenty or more would cover it, squabbling, looking to me like a bunch of maggots covering a carcass, to be honest, as gristly as it sounds. The cardinals simply shoved them aside, and the blue jays easily scared them off. The buntings waited nearby. A few would get a moment to eat just after the jays, and be driven off by the sparrows in no time. When the horde would move off, massing a few feet away in a dense shrub, a female would remain, perched, for long periods throughout much of the day. Any bunting that landed to eat would be lunged at and driven off.
The raids of these, in my opinion, grubby looking, ugly creatures, were depressing enough. Watching the never ending nastiness through the binoculars while at my desk was infuriating. Not to mention, they’d clear out more than a week’s food in less than one day, much of this dumped on the ground, sprouting in dense mats below and fowling the water in a nearby fountain.
The birds live elsewhere, likely from ‘Calle Ocho’, a well-loved commercial area in Miami with plenty of restaurants, a few blocks away. They are mostly absent until the feeders are in use. A few come to the ground for the little bit of seed, which is fine, but the problem has been solved, at this point.
Hope their solution, maybe overdone in my case, works for any others with this issue.
Read some comments and want to add one thing. In 2008 when I moved in, the yard was nothing but lawn, with two coconut trees and a clump of plantains next to the back door. I planted mainly native shrubs and trees, from Audubon Society and other native plant organization’s plant sales. At first, a few species of birds (and butterflies) were around. The yard bird list stands at 107 species, with some rare visitors (western tanager, orchard oriole, and clay-colored sparrow to name a few) and nearly 30 butterflies (including malachite and Dina sulfur). The forest that now covers the place is the reason. Does not deter the sparrows (in my area at least). Unlike most other birds, they eat none of the fruits or seeds on the plants, only present when feeders are filled. Definitely get plants native to your area! With the house sparrows, and in my yard, also collared-doves, extra things are needed.
I see more house finches than house sparrows. They did take over one of my bird houses and I have seen them nesting as early as February here in NJ. several broods a year.
Yeah, not a fan, they killed house wrens nesting on my property
That sounds like them
Living in Michigan. I feed birds from Winter to Spring. During winter it is mostly sparrows.
Since they are not native I would not feel bad if they where gone. But I am sure that will never happen. The Eco system in Michigan has been destroyed more by non native plants than animals. Other than out Great Lakes.
Send them back to us in the UK! Their numbers are declining over here :(
I think that’s a great solution!
@@BadgerlandBirding I'm not sure that would be realistic. Would all of them have to be tested for diseases? Who would pay for this? Would it even work to achieve the intended purpose? I suppose it could be looked into, but I assume we would already be doing it if it was really a simple practical solution.
@@K.R.B. no, it wouldn’t be a practical thing to do, but it’s a nice thought.
The bluebirds in my backyard are bullied by nobody and drive out the Downy Woodpeckers from the homes they build. It's a brutal world.
Sounds like you have some tough bouebirds
They are kinda like gangsters, take over the birdfeeder and chase away the interesting birds.
They’re the mob lol
In my case it's Mockingbirds that chase away Woodpeckers, Bluejays and other mid-sized birds.
@ in my little south suburban Chicago area our bird options are quite limited, aside from the odd migratory sweetie.
a very famous birder here in Saudi have a theory that even here in Arabia they are introduced but many hundred years ago, and their origin is India. Whatever the case with his theory the reality is that they became a lovable companions to us in our gardens, and they are living in harmony with our typical birds like the weaver, bulbul and local bee eaters. they only live in cities you don't see them once you go in the desert instead we have the black crown sparrow larks.
Thank you. Very interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it
I am a major animal lover, now, I don’t like the ugly side of nature and how it works to survive. But the key word here is, survive. All birds will fight, peck, and sometimes kill. Some of the most awe inspiring birds’ Eagles, Hawks etc are renowned killers. But cause they are large impressive birds, people don’t react when an Eagle up and takes a baby goat, deer etc. Nature is nature and we have to take the ugly with the beauty, meet in the middle and love nature for all creatures big and small!
Long ago, I had a great-aunt who had a sparrow trap. She lived in a small rural town. I've thought of one myself. I'm in suburbia and 90%+ of the birds are House Sparrows.
I live in Canada and I don't mind them , I find the starling is way more problematic which was also brought here
I'm in New Zealand and feed birds daily. Mainly sparrows but also green finches, starlings and sometimes magpies and seagull's.
The sparrows here are docile, finches are only slightly bigger and will occasionally bite sparrows.
I don't get the hatred for them, they're just living beings trying to survive
They've wiped out the entire population of tiny, cute coppersmith barbets and the blue-cheeked barbets from my locality in Kolkata, India. Those birds were more pleasant to look at ngl. Also, I rarely come across an oriole these days. There's always an aesthetic criteria to things. Nobody would complain if the sparrows looked like Birds of Paradise. 😂 Sad to see the beautiful birds succumb to the wrath of sparrows. The only ones to still survive are the Indian Ringneck and bulbuls (these guys are fierce; one built a nest in the outer unit of one of our aircons).
I watched a trio of house sparrows run a robin off her nest and smash all of her eggs on the ground. That's why they are hated. They absolutely will kill anything their size or smaller, and even take on some larger birds. Sure they just try to survive, but they do it by killing anything they can even if it's not competing with them.
In Idaho my back yard has become home to 3 families of house sparrows (Approx. 40 sparrows). These house sparrows have attracted several Coopers hawks, Kestrels and a Western Screech owl. The Coopers hawks are plump and happy. I do like the house sparrows but I let nature do what nature does. A couple of the male house sparrows will peck at the fox squirrels and doves at the feeders but it doesn't usually work. One of the male house sparrows has a birth defect that's caused it to be twice the size of the other sparrows and he leads the pack as a lookout for the others. Through all the drama these house sparrows have maintained their numbers each year.
I’m old and remember House Sparrows stealing my Blue Bird houses. I haven’t had that problem in years but never gave it much thought. Glad I watched this video!
It's nearly all pigeons in the city and house sparrows in the burbs these days. As many house sparrows number in our neighborhood, the feral cats seem to have little success with them.
When I first started bird feeding 8 years ago, I had a nice plethora of birds. Cardinals, Titmice, Chickadees, House Finches, etc. Then the sparrows attacked. Took my feeders down for a bit and focused only on finch and hummingbirds. No sparrows. Around when Covid came around and was bored at home decided to get a general seed feeder at WBU. Had decent success until some old hippie neighbors moved in next door....and then there came the Sparrows. Fall of 2021 was by far my worst feeding year. Couldn't have any food out without dozens of those screaming flying rats hogging it all. Decided to start trapping. Trapped about 80 of them and cleared them out, they vanished! It took weeks if not over 2 months for my native birds to start coming back to my feeders. It was a miracle seeing a chickadee for the 1st time in forever. Since then, I have aggressively started trapping every Spring and Fall and have cleared out over 400+ house sparrows.
Thankfully I live in semi-rural Central Texas butting up to a large tract of wild oak savanna, couldn't imagine the misery of trying to trap in a much more urban environment. Since then, I have counted nearly 4 dozen species of visitors to my bird feeders. Painted Buntings, Summer Tanagers, Orchard Orioles, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Phoebes, Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Dark-Eyed Juncos, etc and many more can now eat, nest, and bathe in peace. Amazing what trimming the "weeds" can do for your bird garden!
How do you mean you "cleared them out"? Relocated to a different area?
@@HuckleberryHim I relocated them to the Afterlife. I had a wild Coopers Hawk that really enjoyed a flying rat snack.
@@ripperrex7883 You cause literally thousands of times more damage to the local wildlife than hundreds of house sparrows put together. When do the local alligators get their greasy, rotund snack?
@@HuckleberryHim While yes, it is the fault of people that House Sparrows are here, I believe in accountability for rectifying out mistakes. It was a dire mistake to have brought them here (newspaper articles from the 1890's were even putting bounties on them and realized what a pest they are). People yes, are capable of doing bad things, but the duality of man is that we are capable of doing a lot of good also. Human beings are capable of anything if they put their minds to it. Have a great day :)
@@ripperrex7883 You missed the point. YOU personally, existing, having a home, consuming, are directly causing huge damage to the world around you everyday. Yet you hold a double standard. The lives of "destructive" house sparrows must be ended with prejudice, while humans, who cause vastly more destruction, get as many second chances as they like.
They seem to cohabitate with other birds at the feeder they also are fodder for hawks in the area.
I get a lot of sparrows but
I also get a lot of different birds.
Hi badgerland birding how can I attract northern mockingbirds into my backyard
What part of the country do you live in?
@ the desert part of the USA
@AriannaEmer Their thrasher cousins outcompete them and drive them off in your area.
In a more suitable climate, shrubs and trees that offer winter berries for Mockers are a big plus, both females and males will maintain territories (but not pair bonds) year round if winter food is available. Note that many such plants are themselves potentially invasive. Possible choices include 'English' Holly, American Holly, Burford Holly, Pyracantha, Mountain Ash (Rowan), Goumi, Buckthorn, Hawthorns, and Autumn Olive. Many of these plants are very ornamental as well, but none will thrive in desert areas.
No wonder peak population was in the 1960's about when I was born. I've been watching house sparrows fight viciously for minutes on end, ever since I was old enough to watch birds.
It's usually two males egged on by a female, obviously fighting over a bird house, or the female.
Often times the brawls involve five or so. Not sure what's going on there. The Hatfields and McCoys?
i still love watching them
They eat bugs, so hero
They used to be a very common bird here in the UK where they are native to. Intensive farming is reducing their numbers massively . I absolutely love them and feed them every day
Well yes, where they should thrive
One time in the 80's my family took a trip to my aunt's farm. My cousin was standing on the porch shooting his 22 rifle into a humongous tree. I asked what he was doing, he said be was shooting house sparrows because they were an invasive species.
I asked if he was actually hitting any from 75 feet away, no scope, no laser, no tripod, just standing there. Yes, yes, of course he was.
His type won the Revolutionary War. His type are why the Civil War had 660,000 deaths, half on each side.
Aren't we all house sparrows...in a way?
Yes
Well, we humans are the worst invasive species of them all.
they tend to be more prevalent around areas that have those new apartment buildings and shopping plazas that are mostly empty after 2008 and not as much the more rural you go. those places are already bad and should go in favor of reforesting. the system needs a bop on the back of the set to jostle the cords around inside.
I would rather have our bluebirds back instead of these overgrown pet store finches.
As a south american birdwatcher i really have house sparrow, i see a lot of different birds around my house, like House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, Monk Parakeets, Austral Thrush, Southern House Wren, Tufted Tyt-Tyrant, Chilean Mockingbird, Common Diuca Finch, Black Chinned Siskin, Plain-Mantled Tit-Spinetail, Picui Ground Dove, Austral Blackbird and Shiny Cowbird, and what ever i see house sparrow i don't tent to see any other bird, mainly pigeons/doves and thrush but not other birds, but if i don't see any house sparrow i see a lot of group of birds, mostly small birds like House Wren, Tit-Spinetail, Tyt-Tyrant and Rufuos Collares Sparrows
The neighbor of my cousin has a big carport and the sparrows would perch at the topmost board during the night.
There was bird poop all over the floor.
That neighbor bought some mouse glue traps and secured them way up there...........................PROBLEM SOLVED!
I would not recommend glue traps for ANYTHING. They’re extremely inhumane
@@BadgerlandBirding Unfortunately convenience seems to trump animal sentience. Every. Single. Time.
I really think they are very cute and I can't believe that they would hurt anyone
I used to put out bird feeders in my yard, but ever since i saw only house sparrows eating the seed, i took the feeders down. I see no point in benefiting an invasive species
0:56 Your statement here is the whole point of this video. The house sparrow's habitat includes Europe, large parts of Asia and some of Africa, and is not an introduced species on any of those continents. Your video is America-centric.
Correct. We are in America
sparrows are just animals like everyone else. they are neither good nor bad, no animal ever thinks about the other. whether you like them or not, they are just surviving!
Sounds like you watched the video
@BadgerlandBirding I didn't😔😔
The idea of a “right” or “wrong” species in an area is alarmingly disturbing. We shouldn’t nullify the sentience of a species by where it “belongs”. Besides, there’s no getting rid of them. Nature one way or another will eventually adapt.
House Sparrows are great adapters. I am a gardener, and I have seen for myself! When I lived in Colorado, they found that my pea plants were enjoyable and proceeded to eat the young seedlings right to the ground. I live in Arizona now, and along with their house finch friends, decimate almost any young plants that contain a little water in their leaves. They can destroy a whole young garden in a day!! I have never seen them eat any insects, no saving graces!!
dont you have LoveBirds in Arizona too? how's their population keeping up?
I noticed this year all the house sparrows that frequent my yard took a 3 week vacation this summer. There all back now as well as cardinals blue jays woodpeckers.
Now do European Starlings.
Ask and you shall receive
I just vacated two huge sparrows nests from the attic vent opening. So i am happy knowing they are no longer taking up residemce in my house! 😅
Oh they’ll be back :p
Rats with feathers, like starlings
Rats with wings indeed!
Sparrows are full METAL!!!!!
True lol
I did not know they are native, originally to the US. They are quite abounded in the NE! They do compete vigorously with other spices, except the morning doves who appear to be the Canberra of the avian world. The sparrows bicker vigorously with each other which is quite loud. The calm down quite a bit when familiar neighbors are around and become dead quiet when strangers or cats are present. They like pigeons delicate everywhere. The forsythia where they hang out loves the fertilization, as if they need it to grow out of control.
If you run out, You come come take some from Australia, we hate them
The UK is sort of running out so they may take you up on that
I have heard many stories of people going out to feed flocks of sparrows and never being seen again. Be very careful around them
Those stories are all true
@@BadgerlandBirdingthe sparrows killed and ate the people that feed “flocks”? Try pulling the other leg…
@ tis a joke
LOL some people are so obtuse
This video was an heartbreaker
Can't we give some of ours back to the UK?
We can certainly try lol
HSP are only slightly annoying in my area (rural Ohio) in the winter. Starlings are a much bigger problem for me. If I could choose to permanently dispatch a species, it would be the starling!
Had a booming population where I live here in the UK, for many years in rural area. Unfortunately this year they have all but disappeared which is a mystery. Cannot figure out what has happened and is somewhat worrying trend since they are not the only species to decline drastically.
We gave you the house sparrow and you gave us the grey squirrel.
How are you liking the trade? lol
@BadgerlandBirding Grey squirrels are a disaster in the UK.
@@waynemay7327 Too late, no trade backs :P
House sparrows were quite common in Australia apart from Western Australia as they introduced them here, too.
They have declined to the point now that you rarely see them. 🇦🇺
I had starlings and house sparrows try to move in on my property. I hate killing but I did away with the babies a couple years in a row and they all moved out. I dislike the sound of the house sparrows, I hear them in most every movie ever made, makes me sad.
You’re ending their lives for no reason. You barely affected their numbers.
@ I was trying to dissuade them from nesting there, it worked. I was keeping my native birds population up.
@@novampires223 ok, but please never do that again. There has to be a better way
@ feel better now? This was thirty years ago..jeez
@@novampires223 Don’t take it personal, I find this view of life very black and white and rather horrifying. I’d respond to literally anyone that does things like that.
They have taken over my bluebird boxes here in South Jersey. I try chasing them off but to no avail. I'll try what one of your readers suggested, I'll take the boxes down.
Sparrows are fascinating birds. Tons of myths associated with them, including the belief that they gather the souls of the dead and fly them to heaven. They’re also believed to sense the arrival of a new soul to this earth when a baby is born.
I’ve been seeing house sparrows and other types for many years in my yard, and almost every day in the fall and winter , right after sunset, I see a group of close to 10 house sparrows and other types of sparrows arriving at my backyard at the same time as several cardinals to eat the nuts and seeds I throw out there for them, and they all get along just fine. I’ve been observing this behavior for perhaps 8 years.
one golden rule, do not try to kill anything living be it a bird or animal which does not attack and tries to kill you.
I’ve made peace with them. They’re smart and interactive.
They’re honestly very fun to observe and they do goofy things
They’ll nest virtually anywhere. I’ve seen them going in and out of lighted crosswalk signs.
"They are non-native colonists"
... like most Americans 😉😊
Are you mad you're not white?
Indeed…
There are lots of house sparrows coming to my feeder.
I know the feeling
Less feeding less sparrows. Create a place with vegetation birds like to consume.
Took my feeders down because of them.
:(
Sparrows are Wonderful and very Intelligent Birds🕊
Luckily we live on quite a few aches of forest so my feeders and my bluebirds aren't effected by the House Sparrows... but go to the edge of the property, and right next door at my neighbors (where the land turns a bit more suburban) suddenly you can hear the House Sparrows. Its amazing how much they don't like forests but love living in and around man-made structures!
Very true! They definitely love living near humans and human habitation
Less predators, but more cats. Fairly large mowed areas. Dogs unconcerned about them, the sparrows, but repellant to other animals. Concentrated food. Water bath. Human's car for bombing entertainment.
They're 'just animals' is, to me, pretty much the most disgusting thing a human animal can say.
Interesting take. In this instance the alternative would be human with negative intentions but if you say so
@@BadgerlandBirding I don't have a good opinion on humankind in general, so...
Every animal of the land sea or air has fault just like humans have fault. But in the eyes of the creator it's perfection.
The European Starling is another invasive species in North America. A fan of playwright William Shakespeare wanted to have every bird that Shakespeare mentioned in his works established in America. The Starling's introduction to the continent actually failed more than once. Finally, they took hold and the rest is history! 🐣
That’s actually not really correct about Eugene Scheifflein (the guy that introduced the Starling). A writer mentioned him bringing the birds of Shakespeare to the US in a tongue in cheek way. That idea stuck and spread to the point where people started believing it. There’s no actual evidence that he even cared about Shakespeare one way or another
@@BadgerlandBirding Thank you for setting me straight. 😊
I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Illinois. My favorite course was ORNITHOLOGY. One of the Teaching Assistants told me that factoid about thirty-four (34) years ago and apparently, I have been perpetuating the myth ever since! 🫢The professor was friends with a curator at THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY in Chicago, IL. We took a field trip there and got to go "behind the scenes" to see how they make the exhibits. However they get the specimens, they place them in a tank filled with beetle larvae. The larvae make quick work of stripping the flesh from the bone. A "form" is made of the bird from wire and Styrofoam. The skin with feathers is taken from the tank and stretched over the Styrofoam form. Eyes and other details are added to make a life-like display. Sometimes the bones are assembled for a "skeletal display.
The birds on display at any given time are only a fraction of the museums total collection. The majority of the birds are stored in cabinet drawers in the backrooms. 🐦
I would love to know how to eradicate them from our community, but there are too many people feeding them and allowing them to take over bluebird boxes. I’ve limited our bird feeding to safflower seed and a bottom feeder suet station. Still they come and pick up crumbs fallen from the bottom feeder. My most successful trap is the one that fits inside a bluebird house. House sparrows can enter and not escape; blue birds cannot get in. However it seems more come to replace the fallen. What to do?! Thx for video.
You can’t and you shouldn’t. People assume they know everything about the environment and that they should fix what they destroyed. Just like they used to think bringing a species will have no impact.
You do realize that eliminated them from North America would be virtually impossible right you understand that they’re here to stay not sure my friend at least not in Ohio there’s enough sparrows where I live to repopulate the whole planet my friend to check your info
They are certainly here to stay. Anything that would wipe them out would wipe everything else out too
Thank you !
Thank YOU for watching!
Now I’m very upset!!!😢
:(
The surprising thing to me is that Americans haven’t renamed them Dunnocks or Bluetits or something