The English Sparrow is most often referred to as a pest. It is a
permanent resident in more senses than one. It was in 1851 and 1852 at
Brooklyn, New York, that the small bird was first introduced. During the
first 20 years or so it was mostly confined to the larger cities in the
east. However, due to the bird's rapid increase it has spread throughout
every State in the Union and has proved itself to be truly a great
nuisance. Native birds have been driven from their homes and have been
robbed of much of their food and many of their nesting sites.
Song: The English Sparrow has no true song, but rather is content to
call _Chirp--Chirp--Chirp--Chirp!_ over and over again. Sometimes,
in the larger cities such as New York, far from the parks where no
other birds would probably be, the hardy little Sparrow is
welcomed by the children to whom, without him, bird life would be
entirely a closed book. Thus it is that the _chirp-chirp-chirp!_
is not unwelcome everywhere.
Nest: Dr. Frank M. Chapman has said that the English Sparrow builds its
nest of any available material, in any available place. Behind
window shutters, in upturned eave spouts and gutters, beneath
roofs, in holes in trees and in almost every conceivable place,
this bird makes its home. The eggs, four to seven in number, vary
greatly in coloration. Sometimes they are plain white, sometimes
almost completely colored with olive brown. They are often marked
with olive.
Remarks: Even though this little bird is truly a pest it seems a shame
to criticize him in too harsh terms. After all, it is not his
fault that he was brought to a country whose climate and general
living conditions proved to be exactly what he wanted. He has
thrived because his adopted habitat has proved to be ideal. Let us
not confuse this bird in any way with our truly native sparrows
whose habits are so entirely different from this little English
Colonist. The names of some of our North American birds of the
same family are the field sparrow, the song sparrow, the vesper
sparrow and many others whose lives, unfortunately, are not nearly
so well known.
[Illustration: _The English Sparrow_]