In 1851, Brooklyn released 100 house sparrows from England; 175 years later, the birds are found across nearly all of North America

A bird that now seems almost impossible to escape once began as a deliberate introduction in Brooklyn. In 1851, about 100 House Sparrows were reportedly released after being brought from England, with the hope that they would help control caterpillars and protect trees.

The plan worked in a way no one could have fully anticipated.




House Sparrows did not stay in Brooklyn. More releases followed, cities across the United States took an interest in the small Old World birds, and their range expanded rapidly. By 1900, they had reached the Rocky Mountains. The reports is sourced from All About Birds and Today in Ottawa's History.

Today, House Sparrows are among the most familiar birds in North America, especially wherever people live and buildings provide places to nest. Their story, however, is not simply one of an introduced species taking over. The birds that once numbered around 150 million in the United States in the 1940s have declined dramatically.

Why were House Sparrows brought to Brooklyn?

House Sparrows, originally native to Europe and Asia, were introduced into North America in the early 1850s. About 100 birds were reportedly released in Brooklyn, New York, in 1851.

At the time, there was a practical reason for bringing them across the Atlantic. House Sparrows were seen as useful insect eaters. Eugene Schieffelin, a wealthy American bird enthusiast, also imported sparrows from England to eat caterpillars that had infested trees near his home at Madison Square.

The introductions were part of a much broader 19th-century fascination with bringing European animals and birds into North America. Acclimatization societies promoted the movement of foreign species for reasons that included nostalgia, sport, aesthetics and pest control, with little consideration given to possible effects on native wildlife.

New York soon gave the birds an even bigger boost.

In 1864, the Commissioners of Central Park released 50 pairs of House Sparrows. The New York Times reported that the birds “multiplied amazingly.”

Within a few years, sparrows were reportedly numbering in the hundreds of thousands across New York City and Brooklyn and were spreading into surrounding countryside.

How did the sparrows spread so quickly?

The House Sparrow proved exceptionally comfortable around people.

Instead of depending heavily on natural nesting sites, it readily uses eaves, building walls, street lights and nest boxes. In cities, the birds can be seen hopping across the ground and visiting feeders, while in rural areas they often remain close to barns, stables and storehouses.

Other American cities followed New York's example. Boston, Philadelphia, Syracuse and Rochester were among the places that imported English sparrows.

Two additional introductions in the early 1870s, in San Francisco and Salt Lake City, helped establish the species in the West. By 1900, House Sparrows had reached the Rocky Mountains.

The expansion continued. Today, they are common across North America except Alaska and far northern Canada, making them one of the continent's most widely distributed introduced birds.

Their relationship with humans is so close that House Sparrows have become an important subject of scientific research. Their abundance, ease of raising and lack of fear around people have made them useful for avian biological studies, with almost 5,000 scientific papers published using the species as a study organism.

Why did Canada join the sparrow experiment?

The introduction did not stop at the U.S. border. Quebec City brought 50 birds from Britain in 1868 and released them in the Governor's Garden. Despite a harsh winter, at least 20 were reported living around the Artillery Barracks.

Toronto received sparrows in 1871, followed by another 200 imported for release at Queen's Park in 1875. Montreal also established a colony in 1871, with 40 birds released in Viger Gardens and warm boxes provided to help them through winter.

Ottawa's introduction took longer.

A planned shipment of 40 pairs from England in 1872 ended badly when all the birds died during the Atlantic crossing. Later that year, a single sparrow was released in Ottawa. More birds followed in 1875, when a gentleman living in Sandy Hill obtained and released a group in the neighborhood.

The Ottawa Daily Citizen reported that the birds were “flying around in merry style, seemingly quite at home.”

Local residents even provided shelter and food. Sparrow houses were placed on buildings, birdhouses were installed in Major's Hill Park, and William Skead offered five bushels of oats to help the birds survive the winter.

Why did people eventually turn against them?

The enthusiasm did not last forever.

As House Sparrows became abundant, concerns grew about their behavior around native birds. They aggressively defend nesting holes and sometimes drive other species away, including Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins and Tree Swallows.

A scientist reported in 1889 that House Sparrows had attacked 70 different bird species.

Their reputation changed dramatically. In 1877, the New York Herald called the English sparrow the “greatest nuisance ever introduced into this country.”

Yet their numbers eventually began moving in the opposite direction.

An estimated 150 million House Sparrows inhabited the United States during the 1940s. Today, the U.S. population is reported to exceed 7 million, although the reason for the steep decline is not fully understood. The industrialization of American farms may have played a role.

Their decline is especially striking because the birds remain such a constant presence around people.

What makes the House Sparrow so successful?

Part of the answer may be its ability to live alongside humans.

House Sparrows eat many kinds of birdseed, including millet, corn and sunflower seed. They can nest in buildings and other manmade structures, and they are comfortable in busy urban environments.

They also have behaviors that reveal a surprisingly complex social life. Males in flocks establish a pecking order, and the size of the black throat patch can provide clues about age and dominance. Larger black patches tend to belong to older, dominant males, potentially helping birds avoid unnecessary fights.

They even take dust baths, throwing soil and dust over their feathers and sometimes defending the small depression created on the ground.

The oldest recorded House Sparrow was a female at least 15 years and nine months old when she was found in Texas in 2004, in the same state where she had been banded.

In Ottawa's 2022 Christmas Bird Count, 964 English Sparrows were recorded among 50,841 birds. They were outnumbered by American crows, Rock Pigeons, European Starlings and Black-capped Chickadees, but their presence reflected how completely the species has become part of the human landscape.

From a reported release of about 100 birds in Brooklyn in 1851 to a bird found across nearly all of North America, the House Sparrow's history is a reminder of how quickly an introduced species can become an ordinary part of everyday life.

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow by Ted R. Anderson, The Canadian Field-Naturalist, Ottawa Daily Citizen, New York Times, New York Herald, Globe, Gazette, Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count 2022, Biodiversity Heritage Library and the other historical sources as mentioned in Today in Ottawa's History.

FAQs

Why were House Sparrows introduced to North America?

They were brought from England partly to control insects and caterpillars that were damaging trees.

Where are House Sparrows found today?

They are common across North America except Alaska and far northern Canada.