Sparrows, Switzerland’s most common bird, are dwindling in Europe

Present alongside our ancestors for almost 10,000 years, sparrows are among the birds closest to humans and are the most common in Switzerland. But in Europe their population is declining, notes the Swiss Ornithological Institute. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "Few birds are as close to us as sparrows," the institute said in a statement to mark World Sparrow Day on Friday. In Switzerland, house sparrows and tree sparrows are the best-known members of the family. But there are others: the white-winged snowfinch lives in the high mountains, and Ticino is home to the only Swiss population of the Cisalpine sparrow (also known as the Italian sparrow), says the organisation. + You’re in luck if you spot these Swiss birds The breeding population in Switzerland is doing well, according to the Swiss Ornithological Institute – 450,000-550,000 between 2013 and 2016 – but it is dwindling in Europe. In 2017, only 11% of the sparrows counted 14 years earlier ...