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“FARMLAND SPARROWS decreased by about 60% between 1979 and 1995, but then stabilised at a new, lower level; this decline is attributed to changes in agricultural practices.” https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N09/V96_N09_P439_446_A004.pdf View in LinkedIn

CANARY IN THE MINE. “The House Sparrow Passer domesticus population in Britain suffered a major decline in the 1920s, particularly in built-up areas, which coincided with the replacement of the horse by the internal combustion engine.” Not just from toxic fumes but from the loss of the oat spill from horse feed bags. https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N09/V96_N09_P439_446_A004.pdf View in LinkedIn

HOUSE SPARROW. “In December 2002, the Telegraph Magazine considered the species’ appearance on the Red List of UK endangered species.” https://lnkd.in/ezA77j7 View in LinkedIn

THIRTY YEAR FINDING. “The decline of the house sparrow in the UK is a relatively recent phenomenon. From around 13 million pairs in the early 1970s, numbers are now estimated to stand somewhere between 2.1 and 3.7 million: a 71 per cent drop in the national breeding population from 1977 to 2008.” https://lnkd.in/eTu-5Ri View in LinkedIn

MASSIVE LOSSES. “Common birds such as sparrows, starlings and skylarks are suffering "alarming" declines in their numbers, a new study has warned. Figures from bird monitoring schemes suggest that populations of the most widespread species have dropped by around 421 million across Europe since 1980.” https://lnkd.in/eCjmgmA View in LinkedIn

URBAN SPARROWS. “Subsequently, a gradual decline from 1945 to 1975 is followed by a rapid decline from about 1990/91 to 2001.” https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N09/V96_N09_P439_446_A004.pdf View in LinkedIn

URBAN REASONS. “A steep decline in the 1920s was caused by the replacement of the horse with the internal combustion engine and the consequent loss of food to House Sparrows, in the form of spillage from nosebags and undigested seed in horse droppings.” https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N09/V96_N09_P439_446_A004.pdf View in LinkedIn

Rook at this mess: French park trains crows to pick up litter https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/11/rook-at-this-mess-french-park-trains-crows-to-pick-up-litter?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this vignette on the once common sparrow and its demise in numerous cultures. Between being human-dependent, and having a critical threshold for colony size, the sparrow collapse has suffered from these two factors. What is most dramatic is how such a common bird can collapse so quickly in so many places. It surely is a canary for mankind. View in LinkedIn

Caribbean island bans plastic and Styrofoam https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/dominica-plastic-ban/index.html View in LinkedIn