Help Save the Sparrows

There aren't as many Eurasian Tree Sparrows around in HK

 

According to the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, the city's sparrow population has dropped by around 30 percent in the past five years.

In May the group counted 211,100 Eurasian Tree Sparrows, the lowest figure since 305,000 were spotted in the first annual survey in 2016.

They easily adjust to living in urban areas

Pang Chun-chiu, an ornithologist with the society, said further studies needed to be carried out to find out why there has been such a drastic decline, but says it could be due to a lack of nesting space and food shortages.

"They nest in crevices which used to be abundant in a modern city like Hong Kong... [so] the glass [facades] of the buildings might reduce the nesting spaces for sparrows," he said.

Pang explained the decline of the sparrow population might also reflect a worsening urban environment in Hong Kong.

"Sparrows are a tough species, actually. They adapt to changes very quickly, and they eat a wide range of food -- from plant seeds, insects to human leftover food. There might be something getting worse here which is affecting the sparrow population," he said.

In order to protect the birds, he called on people to help, adding residential areas are their favourite spots.

For example, people should not disturb sparrows if they see them making nests in buildings during their breeding season between March and June.

They feed on seeds, insects, and also human food

It's also possible a number of the birds have died or been seriously injured from crashing into glass buildings that confuse them, though one would think they would still be able to find food with Hong Kong's garbage situation not sorted yet.

There is also the possibility of the sparrows suffering from bacterial and viral infections that can cause the failure of eggs to hatch or nesting mortality.

Hopefully these birds can be helped along to increase their survival in the coming years. These sparrows are part of the ecosystem and help with pollination, crucial for flowers, plants, trees and crops.