I have to say that this behavior of House Sparrows (eating Japanese Beetles) is
the exception to the rule. They will not eradicate such pests but will take one
opportunistically. I would definitely think twice about the possibility of them
being "good" for the yard. Also, what is good for one's yard is not always good
for everyone else, including native bird species.

When I hear of interest in using one invasive species to control a pest I think
of the introduction of Cane Toads in Australia- and most of us know how that has
worked out. Of course we aren't introducing House Sparrows to irradiate beetles,
but supporting invasive species populations for "use" in controlling a pest in a
very small area (i.e. a yard) honestly scares me enough to reply to the posting.
As with the mistake of Cane Toad introduction, ensure you know the dangers of
maintaining an invasive species for a purpose... the downsides may be much more
significant.


All the best in Birding,
Liz



- Liz Marchio

Easy ways to make a change:
Burn fat not oil- ride a bike.
Cloth bags for produce.






________________________________
From: Craig Moore <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, July 12, 2010 1:28:07 PM
Subject: [Ohio-birds] House Sparrow in Franklin County

After reading that someone wishing the Cooper's hawks would concentrate on
eating House Sparrows, I wanted to mention that a female house sparrow was
seen in my back yard on Saturday eating a Japaneese Beetle. One invasive
species eating another.

I usually want to eradicate the house sparrows. Now I'm going to have to
ponder this some more to see if they can really help me control bugs. I
think leaving the  feeder empty is a must to keep them hungry enough to
eat the beetles. Has anyone else found a use for house sparrows?

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______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

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