Sparrows Kicked Out Of Signal Officials Say They’re A Hazard, And Plain Bad Birds, Anyway

They were cute, sure.

But a green light at the corner of Fifth and Maple was no place for a pair of house sparrows to build their home, city workers decided.

The love birds, who were building a nest in a traffic signal but had not yet laid eggs, were evicted even before their picture appeared Wednesday on the front page of The Spokesman-Review.

Like a landlord removing a deadbeat’s furniture, a city worker grabbed the birds’ nest of dry grass and tossed it to the base of the signal.

Don’t come back, ya bums.

“That’s probably the occupant that we find there every year,” said Dave Shaw, city traffic-control supervisor. “As soon as we drive by and see (a nest) or someone calls, we try to get it out of there and remove it.”

The cylindrical shields around most city traffic signals have a 4-inch gap at the bottom, preventing birds from building nests, Shaw said. But the shields on this particular signal, for traffic turning left off Maple, has no such gap, making it a favorite with sparrows.

Shaw said removing the birds is a matter of public safety. The nest blocked the view of the green arrow, and while that’s not as dangerous as blocking the red light, it could cause a driver to become confused or distracted.

Don’t expect knowledgeable bird watchers to protest the action.

Also called English sparrows, the birds were introduced to America “like carp or rats,” said Roger Parker, an agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

That was in 1850 in New York City, according to The Audubon Society bird guide. By the 1890s, the proficient breeders had spread to the Northwest.

House sparrows now out-compete some native birds for food and shelter, and are one reason bluebirds aren’t as common as they once were. Some bird watchers remove house sparrow nests wherever they see them.

Parker warned non-experts that there are other birds easily confused with passer domesticus. The nests of any native songbirds are protected by federal and state laws.

, DataTimes