2021. Hungry, Hungry House Sparrows!
December 13, 2021
Open gallery
House Sparrows eating from a bird feeder seen through a pair of binoculars.
The House Sparrows are opening their menus at Purchase College… what will they order for dinner tonight? #MaybeSomethingfromTheHub
by Gianna Papantoniou
It’s not so much like the game the title references, but the House Sparrows on the Purchase College campus are always hungry. They are always flying around different sites on campus, and sometimes you can see them stop for food. Whether it be at a bird feeder or near one of the dining areas depends on where you’re looking at that moment. But what types of food do the House Sparrows enjoy the most when they’re focusing on feeders? This is exactly what our study investigates.
We set out five feeders with different types of feed that House Sparrows are known to like. We gave them cracked corn, sunflower seeds with and without the husks, millet, and safflower. In the end, the cracked corn seemed to be the food that the House Sparrows enjoy the most. Maybe it would be good to bring them to a family barbeque!