Fun Facts About Non-protected Birds

House Sparrows

House Sparrows are extremely adaptable. The have been found living in Death Valley, CA at 280 feet below sea level and in the Colorado Rocky Mountains at altitudes over 10,000 feet. Quite remarkably, House Sparrows are also known to live and breed in a Yorkshire, England coal mine, being fed by the miners over 700’ below ground level.
The House Sparrow was introduced from England to North America in Brooklyn, NY during the fall of 1851.
Only 200 years ago, there were no house sparrows on the entire continent of North America. Today, it is estimated that there are over 150 million.
Originally native to Eurasia and North Africa, House Sparrows have successfully followed man to all of the world’s continents except Antarctica.
House Sparrows rarely occur very far from humans and our structures. A sparse House Sparrow population usually indicates a sparse human population too.
House sparrow populations are in a widespread decline over much of Western Europe. London's sparrow population has dropped by 60% during the past six years. Possible explanations for the decline include modern agricultural practices that leave less waste grain in the fields as well as the increased use of pesticides in urban gardens.
To move around on the ground, House Sparrows usually hop instead of walk. Walking is rarely observed and then only by older individuals.
The House Sparrow can swim when it needs to for survival. They have even been observed swimming underwater when threatened.
While the longevity record for a House Sparrow is over 13 years old, the survival rate for the young of each year is less than 25%. Over 40% of all adult House Sparrows die each year.
The House Sparrow is one of only three birds not protected by the United States government. The European Starling and the pigeon are the other two.

Pigeons

The Rock Pigeon, known until recently as the Rock Dove or just plain pigeon, is a member of the family Columbidae which includes all of the species of pigeons and doves.
The Rock Pigeon is believed to have been the first bird to be domesticated by man. Evidence suggests that people were raising them for food in the Middle East as early as 4500 B.C.
The domesticated Rock Pigeon was introduced to North America in the early 17th century (1603 – 1607) having escaped from the Atlantic Coast settlers who brought them from Europe.
Ironically the Rock Pigeon, also known as homing pigeon, is a non-migratory species. It is speculated that it developed its amazing homing abilities due to the long distances it may travel, to and from its roost, each day in search of food.
It is believed that homing Pigeons use the sun and/or the earth’s magnetic field to navigate their way back to their roost.
In one study, homing pigeons were recorded to fly at an average speed of 43 mph for seven hours over a distance of more than 300 miles. Their top recorded flight speed was clocked at over 80 mph.
The flight muscles of Rock Pigeons make up over 30% of their body weight.
Male and female Rock Pigeons split their incubation duties, with the male taking the daytime shift, and the female incubating overnight.
Both Rock Pigeon parents feed their young on “crop milk,” a yogurt-like secretion produced by the walls of their crop. On the fifth day the parents begin to mix seed into the feedings, and by the tenth day the squabs are fed the same diet as the parents.

Starlings

The European Starling was introduced into North America when the "American Acclimatization Society" for European settlers released some 80-100 birds in Central Park (New York City) in 1890-91. The head of this particular organization, Eugene Scheiffelin, desired to introduce all birds ever mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.
Since its introduction into North America in 1891, European Starling populations have grown to over 200 million birds and they can now be found coast to coast and in Alaska.
The European Starling, introduced to North America in 1891, has had a significant impact on our native birds. In particular, its intense competition for nesting cavities has had a negative impact on many cavity-nesting species such as Bluebirds, woodpeckers and Purple Martins.
Rather than clamping their bill shut, starlings’ jaw muscles work to force it open giving them a great advantage when digging for grubs, worms, and bugs in the yard.
To glean insects and invertebrates, you can watch starlings poking their beaks into the ground, opening wide to spread the soil and then picking out exposed larvae and earthworms.
Starlings, as members of the Sturnidae family, are cousins to the Mynah bird and are outstanding mimics. Individuals have been known to mimic the calls of up to 20 different bird species.
Starlings have an impressive array of songs and may have a repertoire of over 60 different types.
Starlings were at one time considered a game bird in Europe and were hunted for food.
Starlings often return to the same nest cavity to raise their young each year.
Bird banding records show the longest known life-span for a Starling in North America to be over 15 years old.
European Starlings have a highly adaptable diet and eat a wide variety of foods, such as snails, worms, millipedes, and spiders, in addition to fruits, berries, grains, and seeds.
Starlings can play an important role in reducing the numbers of some of the major insect pests that damage farm crops.
Starlings in the Midwestern United States migrate south in the winter, but starlings in the East tend to be year-round residents. Young birds migrate farther than older birds.
Migrating flocks of Starlings can reach enormous numbers; flocks of 100,000 birds are not uncommon.

Deterring Non-protected Birds at Feeders

The blackbird family, sparrows, and starlings can be frustrating to have at feeders. Their foods of choice are bread, corn, millet, wheat and sunflower seeds. To get rid of them serve foods they don't like. Eliminating their favorite foods will generally cause them to look elsewhere for foods they like. Serving suet under a squirrel baffle or a starling proof feeder that birds have to eat suet from underneath will deter them. Providing only safflower will satisfy the cardinals, grosbeaks, chickadees, titmice and other seed eating birds.