New research makes use of the most common bird

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are one of the most common bird species in the world. Chances are you have seen them and heard their singular “cheep” and “chirrup” calls while at the farmer’s market, in an urban park like Moore Square, in the garden center of a big box store, or when they hop over to grab crumbs while you eat at an outdoor cafe.

These little playful birds live where we live and benefit well from living in proximity to humans.

In their native range, which includes Europe, Asia and North Africa, house sparrows are cherished by birdwatchers but appear to be declining in population. On this side of the Atlantic, the story is a bit different. Throughout much of the Americas, many bird enthusiasts find house sparrows to be an abundant and aggressive pest.

This invasive bird can evict native birds, particularly bluebirds, from nestboxes, destroy their nests, and sometimes kill nestlings and parents. Birdwatchers who set up, maintain and monitor nestboxes do so to help native cavity-nesting birds such as bluebirds, and they want to stop house sparrows from causing harm.

A new citizen science project coordinated by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, called Sparrow Swap, has two goals. First is to help birdwatchers find the most effective ways to manage house sparrows.

Second is to build upon the museum’s egg collection in order to explore the potential of the color and patterns of these eggs to signal the presence of environmental contaminants. Sparrow Swap volunteers participate by sending unwanted house sparrow eggs to the museum. (Only eggs of birds not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act can be collected without a permit.) During collection, participants can choose to either simply remove the house sparrow eggs or swap the originals with painted replicas provided by project staff, all while recording detailed information on data sheets.

While these little brown birds have been problematic for decades, the best chance for finding ways to minimize their damage and the risks they pose to other birds is for birdwatchers to work together on this nationwide experiment.

You can learn more and find updates about Sparrow Swap at facebook.com/sparrowswap or become part of the Sparrow Swap team at bit.do/sparrowswap.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "New research makes use of the most common bird."