A Móra Ferenc Múzum Évkönyve, 1972/73-1. (Szeged, 1974)

Rékási József: Data on the food biology of Passer domesticus L.

Szijj J. (1957), A seregély táplálkozásbiológiája és mezőgazdasági jelentősége. Aquila, 1956—57., p. 71—101. Turcek, F. J. (1961), Ökologische Bszicehungen dsr Vögel und Gehölze. Verlag der Slowakischen Akadémia der Wissenschaften, Bratislava, 330. Újvárosi M. (1957), Gyomnövények, gyomirtás. Mezőgazdasági Kiadó, Bp., 786. DATA TO FOOD-BIOLOGY OF HOUSE-SPARROWS (PASSER DOMESTICUS L.) OF SZEGED by József Rékásl Since 1966 within the framework of the International Biological Program comparative bromatological studies have been published in connection with strongly spread species of birds. It is also necessary to review the question of benefit and damage of the house-sparrow. In this work I wish to give data to the winter feed of a house-sparrows population of a big town. On 13th February 1968 (20—21 p. m.), after an extermitation of sparrows, I could examine the stomach contents of 181 hous-sparrows which were shot in Széchenyi square where generally 5—6 thousand house sparrow spend their nights. This great number of house-sparrows was collected at the same hour of the day, from the same place of night shelter, and so can give answer to the question what the food of thousands of house-sparrows is during winter periods. I present the qualitative and quantitative data in diagrams. Besides the global results, the food found in individual stomchs is also estimated by me in connection with males as well as famales. Examining the stomach contents I found exclusively useful seed in 62 cases (34.2%), exclusively weed-seed in 50 cases (27%), useful seed and weed-seed together only in 3 cases (1.6%). In 66 cases (36.6%) there was no food in the stomach. Smashed stones were found in 180 cases and grains of sand in 78 cases. This latter fact also indicates that their food mostly consisted of seeds of plants dropped on the soil. Their food consisting of wheat, maize, sunflower seed came from wastage, offal manure of animal origin and was often desiccated, mouldy, smelling of manure. This can be considered as indirect usefulnes (54.2%). Besides this offal, wastege coming from human settlements, the consumption of weed-seed such as gtow abundantly is also considerabl (45.8). The weed-seeds are found by them in the yards, by the fences, in the pigfarms araund the town, orchards, mills, barns, granaries. Food is found in all these places by the house-sparrow, which has an excellent ability of accomodation. And because of this excellent plasticity to adaptation this urbanized species of bird has a great future even in our overcivilized word.