The urban decline of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): A possible link with electromagnetic radiation

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers conducted point transect sampling at 30 points over 40 visits in Valladolid, Spain, between October 2002 and May 2006, counting sparrows and measuring electric field strength. Mean bird density declined significantly over the study period (P = 0.0037). Bird density was significantly lower in areas with higher electric field strength. A logarithmic regression of bird density against field strength in 0.1 V/m increments yielded a strong negative correlation (R = -0.87, P = 0.0001). The authors concluded that electromagnetic pollution may be responsible for the sparrow decline in European cities, either alone or combined with other factors.

Why This Matters

A marked decline of house sparrows had been observed in the United Kingdom and several western European countries. The researchers aimed to test whether electromagnetic radiation from phone antennae correlated with the sparrow decline in Spain. The results supported the hypothesis that electromagnetic signals are associated with the decline. The authors suggested the strong dependence found could inform more controlled studies.

Cite This Study

Unknown (2007). The urban decline of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): A possible link with electromagnetic radiation.

Show BibTeX

@article{the_urban_decline_of_the_house_sparrow_passer_domesticus_a_possible_link_with_electromagnetic_radiation_ce4871,
  author = {Unknown},
  title = {The urban decline of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): A possible link with electromagnetic radiation},
  year = {2007},
  
  
}

PubMed: 17613041

Quick Questions About This Study

The study investigated whether house sparrow populations were declining in Spain and whether electromagnetic radiation from phone antennae correlated with the decline.

Researchers performed point transect sampling at 30 locations over 40 visits in Valladolid, Spain, counting sparrows and measuring electric field strength in the 1 MHz to 3 GHz range.

Mean bird density declined significantly over the study period (P = 0.0037) and was significantly lower in areas with higher electric field strength. A logarithmic regression of bird density against field strength in 0.1 V/m increments yielded a strong negative correlation (R = -0.87, P = 0.0001).

The authors concluded that electromagnetic pollution may be responsible for the sparrow decline in European cities, either alone or combined with other factors. They also noted that the strong dependence between bird density and field strength could inform more controlled studies.