Sparrows have left Ukrainian cities and this is a cause for concern among ornithologists and ecologists. They name several possible reasons for the population decline.
Andriy Kyiko, the head of the Lviv Ornithologists’ Club, explained why sparrows are not seen in Ukraine and where they have disappeared to.
Experts name several reasons:
- a reduction in the number of private houses, under the roofs and slates of which sparrows used to nest;
- New construction technologies eliminate gaps, and everything is insulated with concrete and plastic;
- Changes in the way garbage is handled: garbage is now thrown away in tight plastic bags and closed plastic containers, making it harder for sparrows to access food waste;
- a decrease in the number of households with poultry, where sparrows could grab some grain;
- disappearance of collective farms and elevators, where grain (wheat, oats, rye) used to be poured out and scattered, which was part of the sparrows’ diet;
- an increase in the number of cats in cities, which are natural enemies of sparrows;
- noisy celebrations in cities with firecrackers and other pyrotechnics, although this reason has now lost its relevance due to the ban on the use of pyrotechnics in Ukraine.
Kyiko notes that climate change also affects birds.
“Perhaps it is also the lack of food to feed the chicks,” he told Espresso.
Why sparrows are useful
Sparrows generally feed on seeds, food waste, cereals, berries and grasses.
“Each species has its own significance. Sometimes we cannot understand what it is for, for example, why we have a lot of mosquitoes there. In fact, mosquitoes are food for certain species of birds that successfully consume them and feed their chicks. Likewise, the sparrow has a certain significance. During a certain period, when it hatches chicks, it feeds on certain types of insects that can be pests for human-planted gardens,” the zoo expert said.
What needs to be done to increase the number of sparrows
Candidate of Biological Sciences Yevheniia Yanysh noted that in order to prevent their species from disappearing completely, the Ukrainian fauna should change its approach to urban ecosystem planning.
“To keep them alive, we need more green spaces in cities. It is necessary to have not only trees, but, for example, bushes where sparrows can spend the night. They need to have a food base, but I think that in the central areas of cities this is not very realistic now, because our landfills are often closed, so birds cannot feed on them. In addition, there is not enough grass and insects in the centre of big cities, but on the outskirts it is absolutely feasible, meaning that lawn mowing should be reduced,” she notes.
Experts point out that just one pair of sparrows kills more than 30,000 insects while feeding their chicks, and they can produce several broods in a year.