Sparrows are small birds that can be seen everywhere, whether in the countryside or in the bustling city, we can see them.
Although the sparrow has an ordinary appearance, it has been regarded as an auspicious bird since ancient times because the word "finch" is homophonic to "jue", which symbolizes the addition of officials to the knight. However, this small bird has also suffered a catastrophe in modern times, and in the 19th century, there was a theory that sparrows caused the spread of plague, and at the same time, there were studies that sparrows would affect the harvest of crops, so for a while, the operation to eradicate sparrows was launched around the world. From the United States to Europe, from Europe to Asia, there is no place where sparrows can be spared, and the mainland also lists sparrows as one of the four pests and is killed.
Under such encirclement and suppression, the sparrow population around the world has rapidly declined, and for a while, it was even difficult to see sparrows.
However, the vitality of this small creature is very tenacious, the ability to adapt to the environment is strong, the speed of reproduction is fast, with the improvement of human cognition, the end of the sparrow eradication operation, the number of sparrows quickly began to recover, coupled with artificial imports, soon, we can hear the chirping of sparrows in the streets and alleys. When it comes to chirping, the sparrow is a typical songbird that chirps in our ears all the time.
Unlike other birds, sparrows do not shy away from humans, whether it is a sparsely populated countryside or a noisy city, sparrows will stop on the branches, and even lay their eggs on human balconies, eaves, and air conditioners.
There is no one who has never seen sparrows, but strange to say, sparrows are so large in number and always around humans, why do we rarely see sparrow carcasses? Where did the sparrows go after death? Sparrows die in two ways, one is by being killed and the other is by natural causes. For sparrows, whether in the countryside or in the city, there is a very terrible natural predator, that is, cats.
Cats like to hunt sparrows, we all know that, but do you know how many sparrows cats are capable of prey? It's shocking to say it.
According to a study by Nanjing University, the combined number of urban stray cats and rural free-range cats in mainland China is between 2.6 billion and 5.5 billion birds per year, with sparrows accounting for the vast majority. For feral cats, sparrows, with large populations, can be said to be a stable source of food. So where did the wreckage of these prey sparrows go? Anyone who has ever eaten a sparrow knows that the bones of sparrows are actually very small, fried to a crispy point, and can even be chewed directly, so many sparrows are directly devoured by wild cats, even if they leave some small remains, they are easily covered by soil and leaves.
For example, sometimes we dig up the soil at the base of a tree and dig out a small bone, which may not necessarily be the fried chicken bone left over from someone's eating, but it may also belong to a small sparrow.
In addition to being preded, it is a natural death, in fact, for wild animals, it is relatively rare to survive until natural death. Sparrows have a lifespan of about 5 to 10 years, and when their deadline comes, they will sense it. As an alert bird, the dying sparrow will usually seek out a dense bush or hidden mound to hide itself and wait for death to come.
Since the hiding place of the sparrow is inherently secret, it is difficult to notice, and the dead sparrow will soon attract a variety of scavengers, such as small carnivores or insects, so the carcass will quickly be eaten and then decomposed by bacteria, which is naturally difficult for us to see.
That's why, whether it's a hunted sparrow or a sparrow that dies of natural causes, their carcasses rarely appear in front of us. It is worth mentioning that although the vitality and reproductive ability of sparrows are very strong, their overall population is showing a downward trend in the world, which is not unrelated to the development of human urbanization and industrialization.