House Sparrow Terrace Nest Box
Where have all the sparrows gone?
House sparrows are found in a variety of habitats from city centres to farmland, but in the UK the population has plummeted. In the early 1970s there were 25 million breeding house sparrows in the UK, now there are around 13 million.
The population crash is not fully understood but is likely to be linked with changing agricultural practices such as the mechanisation of the grain harvest and more efficient grain storage reducing the amount of seed available for sparrows to feed on. The lack of nest sites and food in towns has also had an impact. In Lincolnshire, house sparrows remain relatively common but there are things we can do here to ensure we retain a healthy house sparrow population.
| How to help house sparrows in your garden |
Provide food
House sparrows eat seeds, fruits and insects |
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Put out sunflower seeds and millet. |
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Leave a small 'weedy' patch. Sparrows eat the seeds of annual plants such as chickweed and plantains, and insects will find shelter. |
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Leave a section of lawn to grow longer. The long grass will shelter insects and provide seeds. |
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| Avoid using chemicals |
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Chemicals such as lawn treatments kill insects reducing the food available to sparrows. |
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| Provide shelter |
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Thick, dense shrubs and climbers will provide shelter and nest sites. |
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| Provide nest sites |
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House sparrows will nest in thick vegetation but they prefer holes in buildings in particular behind fascias and soffits of roofs. If these are replaced, retain an access hole for sparrows. |
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House sparrows will nest in boxes. They nest in loose colonies so a special terrace nest box has been designed for sparrows. |
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Make a terrace nest box
The terrace nest box can be made using the plan below. Fasten it securely below the eaves of your house or at least 3 metres above ground level. The box should face in an easterly direction avoiding direct heat from the sun and the prevailing wind and rain.
