Sparrows and Sparrowhawks

Source:

The sparrows and hedges game in Natural Leaders - Environmental Games and Activities by NTS/SNH available from the National Trust for Scotland.

Time

10-20 minutes

You will need

• 5 or so bean bags for throwing  

Did you know?

Common sparrows are not so common any more. Between 1977 and 2000, house sparrow numbers in the UK declined by 65% - but not due to sparrowhawks. Lack of deciduous trees and lack of invertebrate food due to the increasing use of insecticide sprays in towns and the country side, are thought to be the main factors in the sparrow's decline.

Before the activity

You could make the bean bags look more like sparrows by adding felt wings, beaks and button eyes.

Discuss why the numbers of common song birds are dropping in the UK. Discuss how song birds are usually well adapted to live with their predators and that predators alone do not usually cause a prey population to drop. The quality of their habitat and the amount of available food are more important.

The activity

• The children stand round in a circle and represent hedges
• The bean bags are thrown back and forth to represent sparrows flying between hedgerows, looking for insects and spiders to eat
• After a minute or so, one person is placed in the centre and becomes the 'sparrowhawk' trying to catch the sparrows
• Gradually make the game more and more difficult by adding more hawks
• Eventually the sparrows will just be passed from hedge to neighbouring hedge to avoid them being caught

The game illustrates how sparrows can defend themselves from hawks by moving from hedge to hedge and staying in close, avoiding crossing too open an area, when there are hawks about. Ask the children about what will happen to the sparrows when hedgerows are cut down and replaced with fences. (fence posts also make ideal perching post for sparrowhawks and other birds of prey!)

Suggested Follow up

Play Migration tag from the sea, shore and sand section to find out about the hazards of migration and the advantages of flying in a flock.

Find out more about sparrows and sparrowhawks using the RSPB bird index

Curriculum Links

Science - main

Age Range

2,3