Efforts to conserve a critically endangered type of russet sparrow have proven successful, as at least 92 chicks have left the nest this year, up from 79 last year, the Chiayi County Forest District Office said earlier this week.
The office estimates that only about 1,500 of the sparrows remain in Taiwan due to a contraction of its habitat over the past 20 years, giving conservation work a critical urgency.
As the sparrows only breed in the county’s Dapu (大埔), Fanlu (番路) and Meishan (梅山) townships, the office said that it has started placing nesting boxes and bait stations in villages around Meishan to lure the birds to safe nesting areas.
Photo courtesy of Chiayi Forest District Office via CNA
It has also been planting more millet and red quinoa for the sparrows to eat, it added.
This year, the office set up 149 boxes, 40 of which were occupied, resulting in 92 successfully reared chicks, it said.
Russet sparrows typically nest in tree hollows, but as their options are limited, the small, unassertive birds often miss out, it said.
Experts attribute their dwindling numbers to limited nesting sites, so the office said that it chose to focus its conservation initiative on creating nesting boxes.
To keep track of the chicks’ number and condition, the office installed pinhole cameras to record their movements, it said.
The project also drew interest from local residents, who volunteered land to place the bait stations and helped put up nesting boxes, the office said, adding that they also lent their expertise in growing millet and red quinoa, and helped to weed and water the fields.
Students at Rueifeng Elementary School even volunteered time after school to help survey the birds, it added.
The sparrow’s habitat cannot be isolated from human activity, making cooperation from the community key to a successful conservation effort, the office said.
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