BIRDWATCH: The House Sparrow’s long history and its recent mystery

BIRDWATCH: The House Sparrow’s long history and its recent mystery

The House Sparrow is usually considered to be one of Canada’s most abundant bird species. This bird was introduced to North America, along with the European Starling, by an eccentric drug manufacturer, Eugene Schizflelin, in1890. It was Schizflelin’s intention to introduce every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s works to New York City. Two releases of the birds were necessary before the species became an established breeder in North America.