Seeking sources of information regarding House Sparrow's ecological impact.
Hi, I apologize if I'm rehashing very old ground, but I've been looking for credible sources of information on the continued impact of House Sparrows on native animals in the US, and somehow am struggling to find anything. I thought people here would likely have some information. (The vast majority of information i was capable of finding was on declining sparrow populations, their use as indicator species, or their economic impact)
I've generally been a house sparrow apologist from the information I currently have, but seek to broaden my knowledge on the topic. Specifically, I want to know if house sparrows pose an active risk of native species' extinction, and in what regions/species if so.
Would also welcome similar info on European Starlings, though researching sparrows is my priority at the moment.
I also invite constructive, information-driven, discussion on the ethics and/or impact of killing them, but to avoid the obvious comments, I already know/believe the following and find it insufficient as-is:
- house sparrows are introduced
- they outcompete many native birds for cavity nests and directly kill eggs
- they compete with native animals for food
- they sometimes kill other birds gruesomely
- large populations of sparrows led to smaller populations of some other birds near the time of their introduction
I appreciate any information you can provide, and will engage with any constructive discussion!