As a youngster growing up in St. Louis, I took for granted the little brown bird hopping around on the Steak 'n Shake parking lot scrambling for the pieces of hamburger buns that I and my friends would toss to them. We considered this little brown bird "just another sparrow".
However, I have since discovered that this little import is somewhat of a rarity. They are found only in a very limited range here in the United States, primarily in St. Louis and some surrounding areas.
On April 25, 1870, twelve Eurasian Tree Sparrows were released in Lafayette Park in South St. Louis, along with a number of other European birds. However, only the Eurasian Tree Sparrow was a successful transplant. It is estimated that there is now a population of about 15,000 birds around St. Louis, Missouri, and neighboring parts of Illinois and southeastern Iowa.
I live in Benton Park neighborhood, not far from Lafayette park. With the spring time, the sparrows in my yard (house and ETS) are all busy and chirping in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteFirst ever ETS spotting for me today! O'Fallon, Mo.
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