Sparrow on feeder with house in background, UK - Ben Hall/2020VISION
House Sparrow Project
Spring 2024
The House Sparrow Project has come to an end for 2024. Please come back next year.
House sparrow populations have declined significantly in England over the last 50 years. The reasons for this decline are still not fully understood, so we need your help to find out.
The aim of this project is to establish where across Essex house sparrows occur and why this may be. House sparrows are associated with human dwellings; hence there is high likelihood of them being present in most neighbourhoods. However, surveys which show no sightings of house sparrows are just as important to us.
Initial findings
1. 86% of participants observed house sparrows in their chosen area, over half of which spotted signs of breeding.
2. There was a moderate correlation between the number of house sparrows observed and the amount of suitable habitat for sparrows and wildlife in general.
3. Although 75% of volunteers had at least one nest box in their garden, these were not commonly used by house sparrows. Almost half opted to nest in vegetation.
These results suggest that sparrows are more likely to occur and subsequently breed in gardens that provide more ‘natural’ habitat. For a more in-depth review, please read our full 2024 report.
