24/11/2025
House sparrows use the same crevices in our roofs that swifts need. When we tidy and neaten and insulate our homes without thought for these species, we have to face a future without them.
Theyโre disappearing โ quietly, almost unnoticed.
The sparrows.
Many people wonder why sparrows in particular are declining so rapidly, while t**s and other songbirds are still doing relatively well.
The answer is uncomfortable:
The sparrow isnโt going extinct โ we are eliminating it.
Sparrows are not forest birds.
They donโt nest in trees, hedges, or bushes.
They need cracks in walls, gaps, old roof tiles, openings in barns or stables โ structures that almost only exist where people live.
Thatโs why theyโre called house sparrows.
They live in colonies, are adaptable, feed on seeds and grains in winter, and on insects for their young in summer.
But none of that helps them if they can no longer find a place to breed safely.
When home disappears
Imagine a house from the 1960s: old tiles, small gaps under the roof, a slightly loose gutter.
A sparrow family has lived there for years.
They breed, they feed, they raise their young.
Every spring, they return to the same spot.
Sparrows are loyal to their nesting sites.
And then โ suddenly โ scaffolding appears.
The roof is replaced, insulation boards installed, every crack carefully sealed.
Because itโs required.
Because itโs good for the environment.
Because it saves energy.
But this isnโt an isolated case.
Itโs happening everywhere.
House by house, street by street.
Roofs are being renovated, solar panels installed, faรงades insulated, windows replaced โ and every gap, every crevice, every niche is sealed shut.
With each renovation, a small piece of life disappears.
The sparrows return โ and find nothing.
No hole, no crack, no familiar entry point.
They fly search patterns, land on the scaffolding, inspect every slit.
They donโt understand what happened โ and fly on.
Maybe to the neighbor.
But everything is sealed there too.
And if an old ledge still exists somewhere, itโs taken.
Other sparrows defend it fiercely.
Because sparrows do not share nesting sites.
In the end, a homeless pair remains.
For days they search.
Along streets, walls, garages.
But their world has become smooth.
Smooth, clean, modern.
And with no place for sparrows.
Then something happens that no one notices:
They donโt breed.
Not this year. Maybe never again.
They live on โ but raise no young.
And so a colony slowly dies out.
Not from cold, not from disease, not only from fewer insects.
But because the structures that were once their nursery have vanished.
Sparrows are building-dependent โ and buildings no longer provide space
They nest in wall cracks, under roof tiles, in tiny cavities of old houses.
But those exact places are now systematically sealed.
And itโs not just old houses.
New buildings are designed from the start without a single niche.
Look around
How many flower boxes still contain seed plants that attract insects?
How many front yards are still real gardens and not gravel deserts?
How many balconies offer food for native insects โ instead of decorative flowers with no value?
Our cities are becoming smooth faรงades, no ledges, no gaps.
Solar panels gleam on rooftops โ but underneath, no bird can live.
We insulate, renovate, optimize.
And while we proudly look at our eco-balance, we lose living diversity.
Why are sparrows hit so much harder?
T**s manage.
They are forest birds, nest in trees, and simply move on if needed.
Sparrows donโt.
A sparrow rarely chooses a tree to nest in.
And it almost always stays loyal to one place.
It depends on us far more.
The numbers are dramatic
Since the 1980s, Germanyโs sparrow population has fallen by half.
In some cities, three out of four sparrows are gone.
Across Europe, researchers estimate over 200 million birds have disappeared.
Building regulations.
Gravel gardens.
Insect decline.
And a world that no longer tolerates imperfections.
While we try to save the world, weโre destroying theirs.
This is not fate.
This is us.
Why does nobody talk about it?
Because itโs uncomfortable.
Because people prefer to blame cats, weather, or โnature itselfโ
instead of facing the truth:
The sparrow isnโt going extinct.
We are eliminating it.
What we can do
No one needs to drill holes into their walls.
But even simple measures help:
During renovations:
โข Donโt just seal cracks and entry holes โ replace them with sparrow nesting bricks or special roof tiles with entry openings.
On outbuildings:
โข Multi-chamber or colony nest boxes on carports, sheds, garages.
Mounted sheltered from wind.
Under roof overhangs:
โข Several simple wooden nest boxes side by side.
On balconies:
โข Even small boxes work if positioned safely.
Green faรงades:
โข Ivy, virginia creeper โ shelter plus insects equals food for chicks.
In gardens:
โข Native plants instead of sterile ornamental shrubs: cornflowers, sunflowers, millet, nettles, dandelions.
โข A small water source.
โข Leave seed heads standing through winter.
In apartment complexes:
โข Discreet communal nesting boxes on garages or utility sheds.
Every little niche counts.
