Russia to Count All Sparrows Feb 7-15
A census of house and field sparrows will take place across Russia from February 7 to 15, as ornithologists say this period is ideal for counting birds on bushes where they chirp actively and have not yet started breeding.
Apr 25, 2026 0
The All-Russian sparrow census is scheduled for the period from February 7 to 15. During the campaign, two common species will be counted: the house sparrow and the field sparrow. This was announced by Anna Mostovaya, a member of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (Soyuz okhrany ptits Rossii) and the Russian Network for the Study and Conservation of Raptors (Rossiyskaya set« izucheniya i okhrany pernatykh khishchnikov).
«The census is conducted annually in two seasons: from the second to the third weekends of February and August,» — Mostovaya explained. «In February, sparrows are conveniently counted on bushes, where during this period they chirp loudly and have not yet started breeding.»
In many countries, a sharp decline in the number of house sparrows has been recorded. For Russia, precise data are lacking; specialists need monitoring over 10–15 years.
«It is obvious that without human care, love, and sympathy, which is expressed in reasonable influence on the species« habitats and organizing supplementary feeding for sparrows, the birds cannot manage,» — Mostovaya added.
The basis of the sparrows« diet is millet or hulled millet. In the cold season, they willingly eat unroasted and unsalted sunflower seeds, and during severe frosts — suet.
Activists of Udilny Park in St. Petersburg have already purchased three bags of sunflower seeds to help the feathered inhabitants survive the cold. Birds actively use feeders, and among the usual tits, sparrows, and bullfinches, species with a different type of feeding appear, such as the Eurasian treecreeper.
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