House Sparrows and Starlings in North America

Tom
- February 11, 2003

Hi, Dan!Enjoyed your piece today, as I always do.In it, you wrote, "Regarding the house sparrow and starling, I wonder why the settlers would have revered these common birds so highly as to bring them on the long journey over the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps it was because sparrows and starlings roost and nest in buildings, and they are easy to catch. Or maybe the travelers brought them along as reminders of their homeland."My understanding is that the settlers didn't bring the sparrows and pigeons at all; they were ordered from Europe, shipped here, and released by well-settled folks in the 19th century: the sparrows in a misguided attempt to control insects (they do eat some, but, it turns out, not as many as the native species they displace), and the starlings due to one literature nut's desire to have every bird mentioned in Shakespeare represented here in America.I've read this information in several different places, but David Kline has an excellent piece on these birds (and other "involuntary immigrants") in a chapter entitled "Aliens" in his book, _Scratching the Woodchuck_. You may already know it, but if not, I commend that one, and his earlier _Great Possession_, to you! They're excellent.I'm a (currently under-employed, alas) outdoor educator and sometime semi-professional naturalist from Maryland, and I really enjoy your weekly offerings. One of my long-term goals is buying some land, and farming it in an organic, or at least natural and sustainable, fashion.In the meantime, I buy organic products when I can afford them, wish I could afford them when I can't, and particularly enjoy Organic Valley milk.And I agree with you, pigeons are nice to have around. :-)Take care,Tom