New bird seed kills off sparrows

Leaving seed out for the birds could be killing off the sparrow.

The increasing popularity of seed mixtures could mean that sparrows are going hungry because they prefer the more traditional fare of stale crusts and bacon rind.

At the same time bird tables could be spreading disease as feathers and bird mess are getting mixed up with the seed, according to a report published today.

The survey found urban gardens were becoming increasingly poor environments for house sparrows and starlings, two of Britain's most common birds.

The number of breeding pairs of sparrows has fallen from 12 million to fewer than seven million in 30 years.

One of the report's authors, Dr Humphrey Crick of the British Trust for Ornithology, said: "The sparrow used to thrive on scraps from the kitchen like bits of old toast and bread. It may be that they don't like these new feeds."