Numbers of invasive House Sparrows Passer domesticus in a rural landscape of Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

The House Sparrow Passer domesticus is recognised as one of the commonest avian invasive species globally, with its occurrence associated with human existence. However, relatively little on population sizes of this species in rural landscapes has been documented. The study on House Sparrows was conducted in three areas in a rural landscape of Limpopo province, South Africa where it is an invasive, to 1) determine population numbers of the House Sparrow between the years 2014 and 2016, and 2) investigate the interaction between the number of House Sparrows and the number of their active nests. The House Sparrow population numbers showed no significant differences between 2014, 2015 and 2016. The House Sparrow numbers were influenced by the number of active nests in 2014 and 2016. The current study showed that the presence of House Sparrows was not affected by the house type they roosted in, and the number of active nests was not influenced by the house types available in each area. The results also showed that the House Sparrow occurs across a rural landscape with variation in numbers across seasons. The evidence reported provides significant insight into how invasive House Sparrows are well established in rural landscapes around human habitation, and it is recommended that this should be incorporated into the management of such alien invasive birds.

Keywords: alien invasive, house type bird species, management, seasonal variation