Sparrowhawk numbers soaring
6 February 2001
Sparrowhawk numbers soaring
By FWi staff
SPARROWHAWK numbers have risen by 149% in the past 25 years, according to a new study.
The rise of sparrowhawk numbers has coincided with the decline of songbirds which form its prey, reports the Daily Express.
But Dr Humphrey Crick of the British Trust for Ornithology rejected claims that the sparrowhawk is to blame for songbird declines.
He pointed out that other prey species such as blue and great tits had shown no decline.
The decline of species such as skylarks and song thrushes is widely blamed on intensive agriculture.
The survey also showed that kestrel numbers had declined 26% in 25 years. Dr Crick said modern farming had reduced numbers of mammal prey.
- Sparrow shortage not down to magpies, FWi, 19 June 2000
- Pondering the reasons for their decline, FWi, 14 January 2000
- Pondering the reasons for their decline, FWi, 14 January 2000
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