"Johanna" wrote in message
...
: In article ,
: says...
: : Not because they have become rare but because they are declining very
: rapidly - they've gone from 'outrageously common' to 'common' very
: quickly. And I suppose the though is that if they keep declining this
: quickly, it won't be long till they *are* rare.
:
: It was also suggested recently that sparrows need a minimum number in
: their social groups to be able to breed properly. The less birds there
: are in a particular group, the less likely they are to breed
: successfully, so the numbers reduce even further..., eventual leading to
: the loss of the group.
:
:
: Johanna

Another possible reason given is that many people are now replacing gutters
and wooden facias with PVC and blocking all previous access into walls,
roof, etc. The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) is carrying out a
sparrow survey at present which includes questions about this and also about
the height and type of shrubs in people's gardens.

K