Densities of House Sparrows in Different Urban Habitats in a Small Town in NE England

Abstract

Abstract. A mapping technique was used to census House Sparrows Passer domesticus in di#erent urban environments, defined by housing density, housing age and proportion of 'green' area, in a small town in NE England. The study was conducted during the breeding season, with the aim of identifying the parameters that influence breeding density. Maximum House Sparrow density occurred in areas with high housing density, including the town centre, but a decline in numbers over the last 10 years was apparent in suburban areas with intermediate housing density. An area with low housing density was abandoned by House Sparrows in 1980, and a new housing estate completed in 2002 has not been colonized.

Distribution of House Sparrows, Passer domesticus indicus, in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India

“…Due to this reduction, fewer amount of food resources like spilled grains as both feed and dung are available to the house sparrows [34]. The causes for the decline of the house sparrows may also include a reduction of food supplies, possibly from the reduced refuse along the roads, more efficient street cleaning, a reduction of weedy areas in both private and public gardens [10], and a reduction of private small scale poultry farming practices in rural areas [14]. The existence of few houses with limited availability of nesting sites and food availability is also a reason for their lesser population.…”

“…The genus Passer contains about 25 species according to the Handbook of Birds of the World. There are more than 12 recognized subspecies [10]. These subspecies vary The Passer domesticus was described as a species and Passer domesticus indicus was considered a distinct subspecies by many ornithologists during the 19th century [11].…”

Farmstead modernization adversely affects farmland birds

“…Importantly, when we analysed the subset of new cow sheds only, we found the number of nests only slightly increased in the years after construction/modernization of the building and only for house sparrow and old barn swallow nests. Although house sparrows often reach higher population densities in older residential areas (Šálek, Riegert, et al, 2015; Shaw et al, 2008), likely due to older buildings offering higher diversity and number of suitable nesting sites (Shaw et al, 2008), previous studies have suggested flexible nest site selection of house sparrows (Sheldon & Griffith, 2017; Summers‐Smith, 2009), which may result in more rapid colonization of new/modernized buildings. However, generally, our results indicate that newly built/modernized cow sheds will provide not only limited nesting potential for birds immediately after modernization but also into the future.…”

“…studies have suggested flexible nest site selection of house sparrows (Sheldon & Griffith, 2017;Summers-Smith, 2009), which may result in more rapid colonization of new/modernized buildings. However, generally, our results indicate that newly built/modernized cow sheds will…”