Birdy on my window... » house sparrow

Weekend Birdies…

magpie — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:40:26 +0000

Our birdy feeders have been seemingly sparse lately, or so we thought but then we realized we have attracted bully birds to our porch. The crows have always been a welcome bird. For the most part they do not harm or disturb the other little birds. We began feeding them and then branched out to other birds. Soon, we had many birds and the pigeon showed up. Again, they came but did not disturb the other birds. They ate and left. So, we did not fret about them. But now a host of House Sparrows and a chattering of European Starlings have showed up and well, these birds are menacing. They swoop in and frighten off the small birds. They even chased off our frequenter female Downy Woodpecker today. =/ We are going to take the bird feeders down till these birds leave. Then try again.

Here are some of the birds we saw this week–both good and bad:

Fastest bird, slowest bird

magpie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:55:58 +0000

The Peregrine falcon is NOT the fastest bird in the world.

Some believe the fastest bird is the Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, which supposedly flies between 124 – 175 mph. They actually fly around at about 40 to 60 mph (64 to 100 km/h) but are reported to be capable of reaching 175 mph (282 km/h) in a dive. The peregrine must not go this fast in an attack or it would smash into the ground at that dangerous speed, can you imagine?¹

Peregrine Falcon -- Fastest bird in diving possibly

Other birds cruise around at faster speeds of 55 to 70 mph (89 to 113 km/h) such as the waterfowls and shorebirds or the Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator who sustains a cool 80 mph (129 km/h) for long distances. Even if you include the 175 mph (282 km/h) of the Peregrine dive in normal flying, the Spine-tailed Swift Hirundapus caudacutus of India, also known as the White-throated Needletail or the Needle-tailed Swift, has been recorded flying up to 217 mph (349 km/h).² It would be a blur to see this bird go by…bye, bye birdie.

Spine-tailed swift -- Hirundapus caudacutus -- The fastest bird in the world -- straight, normal flight.

The slowest bird in the world is debatable as well. If you include courtship displays in flying then the slowest bird(s) in the world, yes there is a tie, are the American woodcock Scolopax minor and the Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola. While doing their mating courtship flying feat, they go as slow as 5 mph. Look honey, I am so relaxed…a slow dance of sorts.

American Woodcock -- Slowest bird flying in courtship displays

Eurasian Woodcock -- Slowest bird flying in courtship displays

If you want to know the slowest bird in normal flight then the ever-so-common House Sparrows Passer domesticus are among the slowest timed, at 15 to 18 mph (24 to 29 km/h).³ With their successful rate of survival and increasing populations on almost all contintents they really have nothing but time, I guess.

House Sparrow -- Passer domesticus

Podulka, Sandy, Ronald W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., and Rick Bonney, Editors. Handbook of Bird Biology. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2004.
Podulka, Sandy, Ronald W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., and Rick Bonney, Editors. Handbook of Bird Biology. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2004.
Podulka, Sandy, Ronald W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., and Rick Bonney, Editors. Handbook of Bird Biology. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2004.

Bye, Bye Birdie

magpie — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 01:05:11 +0000

After doing research yesterday on the House Sparrows, I have decided I do not like them anymore. They are bad for local birds and I do not want them at the feeders. So, I read online a way to try to deter them. I got rid of the seed I bought which had millet and corn and seeds. I sprinkled that all over the forest edge. Then, I replaced it with premium black oil sunfloweer seeds. And every time the house sparrows have come by since — I chase them away. I simply do not want to facilitate their misbehavior. I know crows eat other little birds too but they do not decimate populations of local birds. I just do not want the house sparrows around anymore.

And so I’ve made up my mind. Wish me luck getting rid of them and keeping them away.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

magpie — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:33:14 +0000

The House Sparrow or Passer domesticus is the only Old World Sparrow (meaning it was brought over by Europe — the old world…) we have in Washington State and they come in abundance to my porch. They are also known as English Sparrow because they were brought over to Central Park in the 1850′s in an effort to populate the park with every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. What a sweet sentiment but how it was not such an intelligent idea. They were also re-introduced in the 1870′s to “control pests”. This did not work. Too bad they flourished at the expense of many native birds, such as the Bluebirds and other native cavity-dwelling birds. Now they are one of the most abundant birds found throughout the continent.

The house sparrow is a social bird and will often beg humans for food in urban areas. Although my house sparrows are a bit more modest than begging. They will stand tall for a portrait or two — anything for seeds.

During the spring the males will chase their potential mates in an flying pursuit. I guess it is all about the chase…

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)