SPARROWS AND BIODIVERSITY

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We like sparrows. In our south London garden we have lots of blue tits, wood pigeons, magpies, starlings, even plentiful robins.

Even a wren appeared a few days ago. And today a heron! Note Nov 2008 - parakeets have arrived in Wandsworth, London SW18 at Wimbledon Park and Southfields. They have moved territory from Pinehurst Studios - they escaped during filming of African Queen (allegedly).

But hardly any sparrows.

Did you know?

Sparrows were once so common that people used to think of them as pests
The cockney rhyming slang for sparrow is 'bow and arrow'
Sparrows are extremely noisy and can't stop chattering and chirruping. Males often chirrup in groups and are especially noisy in Spring and Summer when they are looking for mates
The traditional foods of sparrows are seeds and grains - their beaks are the right shape to crush this kind of food. They often feed on seeds from hanging bird feeders.
Seeds and grains are not always available so sparrows have adapted to eating peanuts, small pieces of bread, household scraps and even pet food from garden bird tables.
Sparrow nestlings eat insects like weevils, caterpillars and aphids

Spotting tips

Male sparrows can be recognised by their black face and bib, grey crown and chestnut brown neck
Females are plainer brown with a pale streak over the eye
The dunnock is a similar bird and can be mistaken for a sparrow. They appear dull brown and do not have a pale breast like sparrows. They also behave very differently - dunnocks are shy and prefer to hang around on the ground under bird tables rather than joining the hurly-burly of the chattering sparrows above.

Until about ten years ago, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) was one of the commonest birds in London and was one of the most numerous and regular visitors to garden bird tables. The 'Cockney sparrer' has always been a firm favourite with Londoners, reflecting its lively social behaviour and relatively tame nature.

W.H. Hudson (1841-1922), a nature writer, wrote some poetry, including a touching tribute to 'The London Sparrow' - 'O blithe heart in a house so melancholy."

In Hudson's day, sparrows had been present by the thousand in the parks of central London. However, on 10 September 2000, a London Natural History Society 'Bird Walk' around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens failed to find a single one.

There is much evidence that this once abundant bird has declined dramatically in recent years. It is now common knowledge that house sparrows have disappeared, or become far less common, in many places where they were formerly abundant. This applies both in the centre of London and many of the suburbs, as well as some of the surrounding towns and indeed a number of cities in other parts of the country such as Bristol and Edinburgh.

For more details or to join Wildlife Watch, an action club for young environmentalists, email Nicky Ranger at Wild London. The Greater London Authority house sparrow species action plan is currently being led by Jan Hewlett, senior biodiversity adviser at the GLA. To discuss involvement in the group activities email Jan Hewlett.

Data from Wild London see www.wildlondon.org.uk

For free diagrams of how to make a bird terrace, see www.beautifulbritain.co.uk

Or buy one at www.shopping.rspb.org.uk