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Feed the Birds Day - House Sparrow

Richard J
28/10/2010 23:02

The house sparrow is a bird most people are familiar with because of their close association with man. They are very social birds and one of our most common garden visitors. However, they are declining. The population of house sparrows in the UK has declined by over 50% in the past few decades.

Their decline may be linked to a lack of nest sites and suitable gardens for them to forage. If homes and gardens are not suitable for them then there are steps we can take to help. 

  • Nesting
    House sparrows usually nest in holes in buildings. Maintain an existing site or provide a sparrow terrace placed under the eaves. They also occasionally nest in dense vegetation such as ivy. Both nestboxes and vegetation will also provide shelter for the winter.
  • Winter food
    House sparrows feed on a range of food so providing sunflower hearts, ground mix and bird cakes will encourage them. They will feed on the ground and use the hanging feeders or bird tables.
  • Summer food
    Young sparrows are fed primarily insects so mealworms would be an excellent bonus for them.
  • Gardening tips -
    - Creating a garden to provide natural food and shelter for sparrows will be effective in the long run.
    - A mix of grass lengths provide homes for a variety of insects which the sparrows feed on.
    - Grow a range of native plants to provide seeds, berries and buds for the sparrows to feed on. This will also attract insects.
    - Patches of bare earth provide places for dust baths and wild annual plants to grow which will also provide food. 
  • Homes for Wildlife
    Our Homes for Wildlife pack has further information on how to help house sparrows HFW     

House sparrows are one of the UK's most sedentary birds. They rarely travel more than a few miles from where they are born so will stay in our gardens for most of the year. If they do vanish, they won't have gone far so keep some food on the go for them.

  • 0 28/10/2010 23:17

    Hi Richard,

    Now you're talking!  Sparrows are my all time favourites - they are my Treasure Pots and I wouldn't swap any more exotic looking garden birds for even one of them. Their cheerfulness and chirrupy conversations are truly wonderful, they are the most entertaining of all garden birds, and when they have their babies it is just magical.

    However, I have a very sad tale to tell. My garden has always been full of them - 25 to 30, increasing to at least 40 when the babies were here. They spent all day playing in my thick conifer hedges, hopping from one feeder to another, clinging like mad to the fat balls, peanuts, and anything else that took their fancy - BUT they have all gone!! I am devastated and I don't know where they are. I can't hear them and I can't see them either in my garden or the neighbours. The most I have counted in several weeks is 4 - where can they be? Richard - you say they won't have gone far, and I know this must be true, but I do wish they would hurry back. This is the first time I have been deserted, and I hate it!

     

    Cheers, Linda.

    See my photos on Flickr

  • 0 28/10/2024 11:32 in reply to Sparrow

    That question was posted 14 years ago but I had the same question when the sparrows disappeared from my garden in September.  I found out that during the early autumn their natural food is abundant - seeds, fruits, insects - so they feast on that instead of garden feeders.  They have now returned in abundance.

  • 0 04/11/2024 20:59 in reply to josephemeryprank

    Yep same thing happened to me. I thought something was wrong with my feeders! But October is apparently nicknamed the hunger gap for the reasons you mentioned so there's plenty of alternatives about. In November they all came back as normal.