Sparrow belongs to the species of passeridae. The pest species most encountered is the house sparrow. It was unintentionally introduced into the world by man.

In Countryside, the house sparrow feeds mainly on seeds and grains, it is very fond of oats and wheat, but it can be opportunistic and adapts to find his food when he lives in the city.

Sparrows are also well known for contaminating food with their droppings, which contain many diseases. This species is protected in some areas, that is why people are looking for anti-sparrow solutions that are not hazardous to the bird.

The sparrow has a song that can be music to one’s ears, but the bossiness of their nature will often interfere with the nesting of native songbirds. Those who provide nesting boxes for chickadees, bluebirds and other songbirds are often upset when a sparrow takes over the nest instead.

Sparrows are prolific breeders, and can have up to four broods of four to five eggs in a season. They are often seen evicting other birds from an occupied nest box, which creates problems for the less common birds. A sparrow trap is often used to trap and release the birds elsewhere. It is an effective method of control, and not one that is prohibited in many areas. The downside to trapping and releasing is it does not eliminate a problem, it only relocates it.

Sparrows are rarely seen in a forest, but are abundant in towns, cities and farmyards. It appears as if humans are a sparrow trap in themselves, by providing the food and nesting conditions sparrows favour. By feeding other birds seeds such as corn, millet and sunflowers, humans are also encouraging the sparrow to enjoy a free meal. They do not depend on humans to eat, but are quick to pass up hunting for bugs when there is a feeder full of seed ready for the taking.

As little as they are, sparrows are aggressive. They will often attack other birds in order to claim nesting sites or food sources. Natural predators such as owls and hawks will offer some pest control, but a sparrow trap or other deterrents are often more effective. The key is to provide an unpredictable scare-tactic, as they will quickly realize they are not in any grave danger if there is consistency in the method used.

Employing a variety of control measures will be most effective in decreasing the numbers of problem birds. Removing food sources, discouraging nesting and introducing natural predators (or simulations) will have better results than one method alone. One such natural predator simulator can be found here.