THE ENGLISH SPARROW AND SOME MEANS OF 

 CONTROLLING IT.^ ^ 



EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH, STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 



Introduction. 



All our native sparrows are beneficial birds and should be 

 protected. Care should be used not to disturb, molest or de- 

 stroy any native sparrow or to confuse any with the imported 

 sparrow w^hich is the subject of this paper. The name English 

 sparrow is a misnomer, as the bird referred to is the "house 

 sparrow" (Passer domesticus) of Europe, where it is native to 

 nearly the entire continent, but the former name has been 

 adopted in the United States and will be perpetuated. The 

 so-called English sparrow, regarded by most competent au- 

 thorities as a pest in the United States, is more injurious and 

 less beneficial than most native American birds, but neverthe- 

 less has many friends in this country. It has beneficial habits, 

 for practically all land birds destroy pests of some kind. Few 

 people may now remember that this sparrow on its introduction 

 to America was recommended for the special purpose of ridding 

 park trees of geometrid caterpillars, a service which it un- 

 doubtedly performs. Native birds, however, might have done 

 as well or better had the sparrow been left in its original home, 

 and had they been encouraged to nest in the parks, for practi- 

 cally all small birds eat such insects. 



Is THE Sparrow a Pest? 



Many people have complained to me that the sparrow has 

 driven other birds from nesting boxes and has dragged the 

 young of other birds out of nests and killed them. Where 

 there are English sparrows it is useless to put up nesting boxes 

 or bird houses for native birds unless some effort is made to 



• This circular is substantially identical with Circular No. 48 of the Massachusetts State Board 

 of Agriculture, which is now out of print. In its present form it has been revised and brought 

 up to date. 



