Decline in house sparrows

[St Germain]

What has caused the decline in house sparrows? You don't see that many of them any more. Come to think of it you don't see many thrushes or starlings either. However, there seems to be an abundance of magpies and wood pigeons. What's going on?

[hammerman]

Well i'm finding the total opposite. There are hundreds of sparrows in the trees around my house and i've noticed more thrushes at work than ever before.

But i have noticed the starlings are not as abundant as they used to be 20 years ago with their huge flocks flying overhead.

I think peoples "green" approach to gardening as well as the formation of many wildlife gardens are responsible for a lot of different birds being around. At work, we have loads of wrens, long tail tits, grey wag tails and the good old robin as well as huge quantities of blue tits.

I personally don't mind magpies or wood pigeons.....they're all part of the eco system we've created or adapted to the way we want it and i have the most adorable family of crows that follow me around for food every morning at work !

[Cetti]

No one knows the answer, but the numbers have dramatically decreased not only in this country but worldwide. The usual reasons are climate, farming changes etc. It could even be some sort of disease peculiar to sparrows as yet unidentified. If it was farming or loss of habitat other birds would also be decreasing, but in some cases the opposite is true, some are actually on the increase - only a few species, but still good news.

I think hammerman is right, it's a local thing. If you are blessed with trees and bushes the odds are you will have sparrows. This year in my area has been an excellent year for breeding. The numbers went from 2 to 25 in my garden alone so that is pretty encouraging.

Starlings we never see, but the Thrushes will be making their appearance when the natural food has disappeared and they need to stock up in our gardens on apples or other food. Magpies and Wood Pigeons are the chancers of the bird world and highly adaptable as well as large, so they will be more noticeable than other species.

[commoner]

.......Sparrows are really plentiful in my garden where they are welcome along with Blackbirds, Chaffinch, Bluetits and the occasional Songthrush ...Starlings are usually welcome but just now they are arriving in hundreds to rip the berries from my two Rowan trees.............decline?...........not in my neck of the woods fortunately.

[gen2]

I have a town garden in Fife. For several years we only had small numbers (up to 12) of sparrows visiting. Over the last 3 years, their numbers have steadily increased so that I now get daily visits from a flock of up to 40 sparrows. This may be related to the availability of food since for many years I only had a peanut feeder, but for the last 3 years I have also provided mixed seed and fatballs. I am currently refilling the seed feeder three times a day and adding a fatball at the same time. The peanuts go down slower and only need replenishing roughly every 3 - 4 days.

Starling numbers have remained fairly constant around 6 to 9 birds

Blackbirds and thrushes are territorial so you are unlikely to see more than one family in your garden at a time.

No magpies around the town gardens. Pair of woodpigeons nesting in neighbours tree but very shy in the garden where they keep away from the much smaller feral pigeons that are always on the scrounge for seed that spills from the feeder.

So yes, it does seem to be a regional thing and probably depends upon the availability of food and nesting sites. Disease may also play a part, as too will severe winters.

[shaneystar2]

I am in Norfolk and have a huge family of sparrows and dunnocks in my garden .Loads of starlings and blackbirds,thrushes,bluetits and the lone ranger robin ! I had two pairs of blackbirds nesting in my garden this year.A pair of wood pigeons visit now and again and a lone jackdaw.And of course here on the coast an occasional cheeky seagull.They don't often come down into the garden though ..they spend a lot of time chattering on the roof ! Flocks of starlings wheel over here most evenings.
Before we moved here we were in London and we had loads of magpies but I rarely ever see one here.
They keep me poor and go through peanuts at an alarming rate .It will soon be time for fatballs which the starlings love and go through at a rate of knots !

[Lonnie]

I'm in Essex, and we have no shortage of Sparrows here, my favourite bird, but apparently, they don't move far from where they were born, that was in Gardening Which,

[St Germain]

Thank you all for contributing. Excellent responses. I'm from the NE of England and I've definitely noticed a decline, though judging from these answers it must be a regional issue and not one that is nation wide.