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July 2010

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From:
Al La Sala <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Al La Sala <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:04:39 -0400
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There is some history of house sparrows on Sialis.org which suggests that
house sparrows were imported (at least in part) to control canker worms
infesting the trees in Central Park, NYC.  It didn't take very long to
figure out that they aren't insectivorous.  Within about 25 years, people
all over the country were realizing the folly of introducing them in the
first place.  Some states even offered bounties for dead house sparrows.

http://www.sialis.org/hosphistory.htm

It may be that the reason they are thought of as insectivores is that they
(like many other bird species) feed insects to their young for the higher
protein content.  The rest of the year, they stick to seeds.

Al La Sala
Columbus, OH

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Liz
Marchio
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 7:49 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] House Sparrow in Franklin County

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/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

______________________________________________________________________

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/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

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