Factors affecting the abundance of House Sparrows Passer domesticus in urban areas of southeast of Spain

Bernat-Ponce, Edgar; Gil‐Delgado, José A.; Guijarro, Daniel

doi:10.1080/00063657.2018.1518403

Cited by 16 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In urbanized areas, green areas are associated with parks and avenues (Fernández-Juricic 2000, González-Oreja et al 2012, Aram et al 2019, while in suburban areas there are not only parks, but also many private gardens. Therefore, the surface covered by vegetation increases in these suburban areas, where vegetation is a mixture of both native and exotic vegetation (Bernat-Ponce et al 2018) which would explain the relevance of these areas for the species abundance. Further, the presence of trees provides the necessary places for Eurasian collared-doves to build nests (Coombs et al 1981).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Urban landscape selection by Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) in eastern Spain

et al. 2020

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The Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) is an invader species, and its distribution is continuously on the increase. Today its expansion has spread to the American continent. In this study we describe the effects of the urban environment on the Eurasian collared dove in eastern Spain. The abundance and presence of this dove were analyzed in 46 localities using counting points. Overall, 220-point counts were surveyed between autumn 2015 and late-winter 2016. A hierarchical partitioning analysis was used to identify explanatory variables of different types such as resources, climate and urban structure, and human presence, which may influence the presence and abundance of this species. In the case of presence, the number of town inhabitants, parks, mean minimum temperature, exotic vegetation and schools had a positive association, while pedestrian number and restaurants had a negative association. Abundance was positively related to native vegetation, exotic vegetation, and water, while urban area was negatively associated with it. Exotic vegetation was the only variable that has a positive relation to presence and abundance. These results can help to predict the use of urban habitats in potential localities for its invasion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Urban landscape selection by Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) in eastern Spain

et al. 2020

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“…The link of the House Sparrow with waste food is still important in modern urbanised areas. A previous study conducted in Spain showed that neighbourhood surface rubbish containers (large receptacles, dumpsters or skips, usually of 1000-3500 L of capacity for temporarily storing anthropogenic household waste located aboveground on the streets; see González-Torre et al 2003 andPires et al 2019) were positively related to House Sparrow abundance, especially in winter (Bernat-Ponce et al 2018). Food debris is usually found around surface rubbish containers as they are sometimes overfilled, and rubbish bags are deposited outside or sometimes they fall from the containers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This process affects wildlife in many ways, for example, modifying habitat structure which renders some landscapes unsuitable for several species (Bernat-Ponce et al 2020;Isaksson 2018;Murgui and Hedblom 2017;Verbeeck et al 2011). These modified environments pose a new challenge for urban avifauna through exposure to novel stressors, such as pollutants, noise, new predators, exotic competitors or processed food (Bernat-Ponce et al 2018;Francis and Barber 2013;Herrera-Dueñas et al 2017;Murgui and Hedblom 2017;Schroeder et al 2012). This significant landscape transformation usually modifies local biota by bringing about changes in its distribution, composition, abundance and structure, or even leads some species to extinction (McKinney 2002;Shochat et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the negative effects of urbanisation on individuals, populations and communities, some species manage to take advantage of several features they find in towns and cities. One of the main attractors for this group of animals to urban areas is constant human-induced food resources (Chace and Walsh 2006), provided intentionally by people such as feeders, or indirectly by rubbish containers or dumpsters (Bernat-Ponce et al 2018;Reynolds et al 2017;Tortosa et al 2006). Thus, urban areas buffer seasonality effects concerning food availability (Murgui and Hedblom 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Lvov (Ukraine), a drastic reduction in the number of open surface rubbish containers in the city centre was followed by a rapid decline of House Sparrow populations (Bokotey and Gorban 2005). During the coldest season, natural trophic resources in urban landscapes are scarce and surface rubbish containers reliably provide anthropic high-calorific scraps, such as biscuits or snacks, around them (Bernat-Ponce et al 2018;Bokotey and Gorban 2005;Herrera-Dueñas et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of replacing surface with underground rubbish containers on urban House Sparrows Passer domesticus

et al. 2021

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Urbanisation processes are increasing worldwide at surprising rates affecting wildlife in many ways: changing habitat structure, reducing resources, and modifying the distribution, composition and abundance of local biota. In different countries, urban waste collection techniques are evolving and surface rubbish containers (neighbourhood receptacles for temporarily storing anthropogenic household waste located above-ground on the streets) are being replaced with underground ones (metal boxes with steel chutes that fed into large underground containers) to improve sanitation measures, to avoid bad smells and waste scattering by animals. We aimed to detect if House Sparrows were more abundant close to surface rubbish containers than close to the underground ones. We recorded an abundance index of House Sparrows during two visits in winter 2018–2019 to point counts located in groups of both container types (80 and 85 groups of underground and surface containers, respectively) in eight towns of Eastern Spain. We modelled the abundance index according to rubbish container type, and 14 other environmental variables at four scales: container, nearest buildings, near urban features, and general locality features using GLMMs. House Sparrows were more abundant close to surface than to underground rubbish containers, which may be linked with higher food debris availability. The presence of other urban features (bar terraces, private gardens, mature trees) interacting with the rubbish containers also influenced the abundance of House Sparrows. The replacement of above-ground rubbish containers with underground ones may deprive House Sparrows resources, which could lead to the decline of this species, especially in urban areas with little green cover.

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Eating in the city: Experimental effect of anthropogenic food resources on the body condition, nutritional status, and oxidative stress of an urban bioindicator passerine

et al. 2023

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Urban areas provide a constant and predictable supply of anthropogenic processed food. The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus Linnaeus, 1758), a declining urban bioindicator species, has recently been reported to have a high level of oxidative stress, with urban diet or pollutants proposed as the potential cause. In this study, we aimed to experimentally determine the effects of two urban trophic resource types (bar snack food leftovers and pet food) on sparrows' physical condition, plasma biochemical nutritional parameters, and blood oxidative status in captivity. To exclude the potential previous effect of urban pollutants, 75 House Sparrows were captured from a rural area in SE Spain and kept in outdoor aviaries. Individuals were exposed to one of three diet treatments: control diet (fruit, vegetables, poultry grain mixture), bar snack diet (ultra‐processed snacks), or cat food diet (dry pellets) for 20 days. Blood samples were collected before and after diet treatments to analyze the relative change rates of 12 variables, including physical condition, nutritional status, and oxidant–antioxidant status. A principal component analysis was run to identify gradients of variables covariation, and Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used to determine the effect of diets on each selected PC and on raw variables. The bar snack diet led to signs of anemia and malnutrition, and females tended to lose body condition. The cat food diet increased oxidative stress indicators and protein catabolism. Unbalanced urban diets can affect the body condition and nutritional physiology of House Sparrows and may also induce oxidative stress despite the absence of environmental pollution.

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Factors affecting the abundance of House Sparrows Passer domesticus in urban areas of southeast of Spain

Cited by 16 publications

References 46 publications

Urban landscape selection by Eurasian collared dove (<i>Streptopelia decaocto</i>) in eastern Spain

Urban landscape selection by Eurasian collared dove (<i>Streptopelia decaocto</i>) in eastern Spain

Effect of replacing surface with underground rubbish containers on urban House Sparrows Passer domesticus

Eating in the city: Experimental effect of anthropogenic food resources on the body condition, nutritional status, and oxidative stress of an urban bioindicator passerine

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