A history of the status of the Tree SparrowPasser montanusin the British Isles
Open Access
- 1 March 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Bird Study
- Vol. 36 (1) , 23-31
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00063658909476998
Abstract
Records from County Avifaunas, a sample of County Annual Bird Reports, the BTO Nest Record Card, Ringing and Common Bird Census enquiries, together with personal observations in Cleveland County, are analysed in order to trace the fluctuations in abundance of the Tree Sparrow in the British Isles since the middle of the last century. There are indications that a population maximum occurred at about the turn of the century, that a decline took place in the 25-year period 1930–55, then a dramatic increase from 1960–¸78, followed more recently by another decrease. The breeding population is estimated to have been about 130 000 pairs in 1950, increasing to over 850 000 in the mid-1960s and falling to about 285 000 pairs in 1985. It is suggested that the increases are a consequence of irruptions from Continental Europe.This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: