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? ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]