Science baffled by decline in sparrow numbers

THE rapid decline in house sparrow numbers in Britain and some other European countries has prompted concern and a flurry of research projects.

In August 2002 the species was put on the British Red Data list as a bird of conservation concern. Between 1977 and 2000, numbers in Britain declined by 65% overall, with total extinction in some urban areas.

The British data is better than the figures available in Ireland but there is both scientific and anecdotal evidence that house sparrows have declined in this country too. There is better scientific data in the pipeline.