In particular, due to the fact that there are fewer nesting places for house sparrows. This bird usually nests under roofs. And now new technologies are used in construction. Everything is carefully covered with various building materials, and sparrows cannot get under the roofs and nest there.
Various chemical plant protection agents are used in the fields. This also has a negative effect on the sparrow population. The enemy of these birds is also cats. They prey on adult birds and chicks after they leave the nests. Obviously, climate changes also affect the number of species. Due to weather conditions, sparrows may lack food in some periods.
By the way, in 1958, sparrows were exterminated en masse in China as part of a campaign to combat agricultural pests (rats, mosquitoes, flies and sparrows). In less than a year, 1.96 billion sparrows were destroyed in the country. Eventually, other small birds also died. After that, pests began to destroy crops en masse. The harvest decreased, there was a famine in the Middle Kingdom. So China was forced to purchase live sparrows from neighboring countries.
— How many species of sparrows are there in Ukraine?
— In total, 28 species of sparrows have been recorded on the planet. In Ukraine, there are three: house sparrow, field sparrow and black-breasted sparrow. The latter occurs only in some southern regions. The house sparrow is slightly larger than the field sparrow. The top of his head is with a gray cap. Cheeks are also gray. And the field man has black spots on his cheeks. House sparrow females are more modestly colored than males. The black-breasted sparrow is somewhat larger than the house sparrow. In an adult male, the top of the head and the back of the neck are chestnut, the “eyebrows” and cheeks are white, and the throat and neck are black.
– And what does the house sparrow eat?
— For the most part, birds of this species feed on plant food — seeds of various agricultural crops and wild herbs, berries, crumbs of various products.
During the period of feeding the chicks, sparrows intensively catch insects and various worms. If there is a lack of this food, then the pair will be able to feed not 5-6 sparrows, but only 1-3.
Usually these birds start nesting already in the second half of March. In April, they lay eggs (5-7 white eggs with brown spots and spots), the incubation of which lasts only 11 days. Chicks leave the nest after two weeks. During the summer, house sparrows have 2-3 broods.
– Do sparrows live long?
— The house sparrow is a small bird. The length of the body is 16 centimeters, and the weight is about 23-35 grams. He does not live long. If pampered – up to four years. However, many young sparrows die in their first winter. So the average lifespan of a bird of this species is 9-21 months.
