Introduction History, Impacts, and Management of House Sparrows in North America

Avery, Julian D.; Lockwood, Julie L.

doi:10.1201/9781315157078-17

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Among invasive granivores birds demonstrating notable success in their expansion and numerical proliferation, the house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) (Figure 1) stands as a species that has colonised practically all regions of the world, adapting to multiple environments, especially urban and cultivated areas (Anderson, 2006). The global spread of house sparrows can influence their ecological roles in non‐native regions as a potential competitor able to displace native species in nesting and foraging contexts (Avery & Lockwood, 2017). Despite its abundance worldwide, there is a growing concern regarding the decline in its native range over the past decades (De Laet & Summers‐Smith, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed dispersal by the cosmopolitan house sparrow widens the spectrum of unexpected endozoochory by granivore birds

Blanco,

Chamorro,

Lovas‐Kiss

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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In the intricate web of plant–animal interactions, granivore birds can play a dual antagonist–mutualist role as seed predators and dispersers. This study delves into the ecological significance of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) as seed disperser by endozoochory. A sample of individual droppings and faecal pools were collected from a communal roost in central Spain to examine the presence of seeds. Seed viability was determined using the tetrazolium test. Our findings revealed that around 22% of the analysed droppings contained seeds, contradicting the prevalent notion of house sparrow solely as seed predator. Viability tests demonstrated that 53.9% of the defecated seeds were viable, although it varied between plant species, including those from fleshy‐fruited common fig and five species of dry‐fruited herbs. This study challenges the traditional perspectives on the ecological role of the house sparrow, and glimpses on their contribution to seed dispersal. Understanding the nuanced roles of granivore species like the house sparrow is crucial for developing holistic conservation and management strategies in urban and agricultural landscapes. Future studies are encouraged to unravel the actual role of this cosmopolitan species as disperser of a likely broad spectrum of wild, cultivated and exotic plants.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed dispersal by the cosmopolitan house sparrow widens the spectrum of unexpected endozoochory by granivore birds

Blanco,

Chamorro,

Lovas‐Kiss

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The House Sparrow is one example of a very successful urban bird species, and except for a few cases, the House Sparrow does not breed away from human settlements [23]. Avery and Lockwood [24] have indicated that many different factors related, e.g., to their propensity to live with human settlements, good reproductivity ability, flocking behavior, boldness and general behavioral flexibility, are behind the House Sparrow s successful and rapid introduction history in North America. However, the House Sparrow has shown a worldwide decline [25][26][27][28][29][30], whereas the population trends of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow are not so clear [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Long-Term Population Responses of Two Closely Related Human-Associated Sparrow Species with Respect to Urbanization

Jokimäki

Suhonen

Kaisanlahti‐Jokimäki

2021

Birds

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Urban planning and management need long-term population level studies for evaluating how urbanization influences biodiversity. Firstly, we reviewed the current population trends of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) in Europe, and evaluated the usefulness of citizens’ science projects to monitor these species in Finland. Secondly, we conducted a long-term (1991–2020) winter field study in 31 urban settlements along a 950 km north–south extent in Finland to study how latitude, weather and urbanization influence on sparrow’s growth rates. The House Sparrow is declining in 15 countries, and increasing in 5, whereas the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is declining in 12 and increasing in 9 European countries. The trend of the House Sparrow was significantly negative in continental Europe. However, the trend of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow was not significant. Both species have declined simultaneously in six countries, whereas in four countries, their trends are opposite. Citizen-based, long-term (2006–2020) winter season project data indicated that House Sparrow has decreased, whereas Eurasian Tree Sparrow has increased in Finland. However, the short-term (2013–2020) breeding season citizen-based project data did not indicate significant changes in the occupation rate of sparrows. Our long-term (1991–2020) field study indicated that wintering populations of the House Sparrow have decreased, whereas the Eurasian Tree Sparrows have both expanded their wintering range and increased their population size. Based on our winter count data, latitude and weather did not significantly influence the growth rates of sparrows. When the human population increased within the study plot, House Sparrow populations decreased, and vice versa. There was also a trend that a decreasing number of feeding sites has decreased the House Sparrow numbers. Urban-related factors did not influence the growth rate of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Our results indicate that the colonization of a new, even closely related species does not influence negatively on earlier urbanized species. It is probable that the niches of these sparrow species are different enough for allowing them to co-occur. The House Sparrow mainly nests on buildings, whereas the Eurasian Tree Sparrow can easily accept, e.g., nest boxes. Urban planning should take care of both the food availability and nest sites availability for both sparrow species.

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Diets of Kauai’s invasive rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri): evidence of seed predation and dispersal in a human-altered landscape

Shiels

Bukoski²,

Siers

2017

Biol Invasions

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Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are the world's most successful introduced parrots, and [ 2000 individuals reside on Kauai, Hawaii. These birds destroy crops, but impacts to other native and non-native species are largely unknown. Our study objectives on Kauai were to determine: (1) diets of rose-ringed parakeets at five sites (n = 9-25 per site), by sex, through crop and gizzard analysis and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, and (2) whether birds are dispersing or depredating seeds. We found 100% of birds (n = 64) were eating plant material and 80% of their diet was seed; males had more food in their crops and gizzards than did females. Corn (Zea mays) was eaten by 67% of birds and averaged 31% of mass in crops and gizzards. Invasive yellow guava (Psidium guajava) was eaten by 97% of birds and averaged 30% of their diet. Parakeets are potentially dispersing yellow guava seeds, as 66% of birds had intact guava seeds, and each bird had an average of three intact seeds. Diets differed statistically among sites. Parakeets from Lihue Airport did not have any corn, and isotopic carbon values also supported low feeding on corn by birds at Lihue Airport. No seeds of native plants were identified in rose-ringed parakeet diets. Our findings of a diverse plant diet, frequent seed predation, and potential to disperse invasive species' seeds implies that land managers in agricultural, urban, and natural areas should be concerned with the current expansion of these invasive birds on Kauai and elsewhere.

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Introduction History, Impacts, and Management of House Sparrows in North America

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Seed dispersal by the cosmopolitan house sparrow widens the spectrum of unexpected endozoochory by granivore birds

Seed dispersal by the cosmopolitan house sparrow widens the spectrum of unexpected endozoochory by granivore birds

Differential Long-Term Population Responses of Two Closely Related Human-Associated Sparrow Species with Respect to Urbanization

Diets of Kauai’s invasive rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri): evidence of seed predation and dispersal in a human-altered landscape

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