Sparrow Plagues in Extremadura (Western Spain) Over Four Centuries (1501–1900): A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Records From Historical Archives

Abstract

Some bird species can cause crop damage but the historical variation in the incidence of such events is poorly documented. We analyse the spatio-temporal variation of damage attributed to sparrows (Passer domesticus, P. hispaniolensis and/or P. montanus) at a regional scale in Extremadura (western Spain) over four centuries (1501-1900). Textual data were extracted from historical documentary sources using over 12,000 Books of Accords (Libros de Acuerdos) belonging to 203 municipal archives. Sparrow agricultural damages were estimated from reported actions to control sparrow populations and two simple indices were constructed to analyse the spatial (PI M) and temporal (PI Y) variation in sparrow plagues. We used these indices to fit geostatistical models and analyse time curves. We found 251 accords reporting sparrow plagues, distributed across 236 years and involving 47 municipalities. Most of these reports (97.2%) were mandatory impositions (repartimientos) on residents to deliver a certain number of dead sparrows within a fixed period, under penalty of a fine or imprisonment. Results show a significant spatio-temporal variation in sparrow plagues, which we

The mysterious bird outbreak of 1779 in southeastern Iberian peninsula: a massive irruption of the Spanish sparrow Passer hispaniolensis from Africa?

“…It is unquestionable that people of that time was alarmed in an extraordinary way. Therefore, actions against birds were deployed, not only with the available means in each municipality (as it was usual in the case of 'normal' bird pests; Ferrero-García et al, 2014, Torres-Vila et al, 2015 but also with the intervention of major State institutions: the Tobacco Income in the province of Murcia, and the Council of Castile in the province of Almería. Indeed, even the highest authorities in the country, including two ministers of Carlos III (the Count of Floridablanca Table 1.…”

“…BAs constitute the most relevant documentary series that the Spanish municipalities have produced, and they date back back to the Late Middle Ages (García-Ruipérez, 2008). As emphasized in previous researches (Ferrero-García et al, 2014Torres-Vila et al, 2015), aspects reflected in the BAs include matters related to agricultural pests (including birds), and the human (and divine) actions taken to combat these. We consulted the BAs of Vera (Almería) and Lorca (Murcia) where the bird pest occurred according to the Order of 19 October 1779.…”

“…The Books of Agreements (Municipal Archives) A large part of the documentary sources studied included the Books of Agreements (BAs thereafter) from several municipal archives. The BAs contain the agreements (organized per session) adopted by municipalities regarding matters within their legislative, executive and judicial jurisdiction (Torres-Vila et al, 2015). BAs constitute the most relevant documentary series that the Spanish municipalities have produced, and they date back back to the Late Middle Ages (García-Ruipérez, 2008).…”

“…It is well-known that some bird species can cause extensive damage to agricultural crops, as reported from many parts of the world (Jones, 1972;Pinowski and Kendeigh, 1977;De Gracio, 1978;Wright et al, 1980;Bruggers and Ruelle, 1981;Bellatreche, 1986;Dhindsa and Saini, 1994;Huber et al, 2002;Contreras et al, 2003;Tracey et al, 2007;Behidj-Benyounes et al, 2011;De Melo and Cheschini, 2012;De Mey et al, 2012;Canavelli et al, 2014;Codesido et al, 2015;De Rijk, 2015;Loza-Del Carpio et al, 2016). Based on records of historical archives, we recently investigated the incidence and spatio-temporal variation of bird pests in the region of Extremadura (southwestern Spain) over four centuries (Torres-Vila et al, 2009;Ferrero-García et al, 2014Torres-Vila et al, 2015). Our research showed that passerines, particularly sparrows (house sparrow Passer domesticus and/or Spanish sparrow Passer hispaniolensis), were the birds that caused most harm to Spanish agriculture in the past.…”

Solapamiento de la dieta de Passer domesticus y Zonotrichia capensis en un agroecosistema de la costa central del Perú

“…A esto se le debe añadir que, las ciudades, poblados y agroecosistemas de la costa peruana ofrecen un ambiente favorable para especies exóticas, en especial a las que se alimentan de semillas (Chace & Walsh 2006), lo que podría otorgar mayores ventajas al gorrión invasor. Passer domesticus tiene un elevado éxito al invadir agroecosistemas convirtiéndose en una auténtica plaga, que consume grandes cantidades de semillas de los cultivos y las malezas, además de insectos (Torres-Vila et al 2015, Singh et al 2016, afectando la avifauna local (Sax et al 2000, Anderson 2006). En el presente estudio se evalúa la existencia de solapamiento en la dieta del gorrión invasor P. domesticus y la especie nativa Z. capensis en un agroecosistema de Ica.…”