THE future is looking brighter for the humble house sparrow.
The bird had been in rapid decline over the last four decades, with a drop of almost 70 per cent across the UK leaving it on the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List.
However, the British Trust for Ornithology says things are looking up for the characterful garden visitor.
Numbers are up by more than a third in Northern Ireland, and by even more in Scotland and Wales.
Rob Jaques, from the BTO Garden BirdWatch Team, said: "The house sparrow is very much associated with our urban landscape and it was participants in our long-running Garden Bird Feeding Survey who first highlighted the scale of the loss of our house sparrows, identifying the different patterns of decline evident between suburban and rural sites.”
Mike Toms, co-author of several scientific papers examining house sparrow decline in the UK, said: "BTO volunteers have helped us to understand house sparrow needs, identifying relationships between their populations and particular urban characteristics and highlighting the importance of large gardens, food resources and nesting opportunities."
