The researcher told about weight gain in urban sparrows due to fast food

Sparrows in Russian cities have become more likely to gain weight due to the availability of fast food, especially in the warmer months. On February 25, Natalia Feoktistova, Scientific Secretary of the IPEE RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences, told Izvestia about this.

According to her, American scientists conducted studies in which they measured the body weight of urban animals and birds and compared the data obtained with those of individuals living outside the urban environment. It turned out that, on average, the mass of animals in cities is noticeably higher than that of their counterparts from suburban and natural areas.

As Feoktistova noted, the problem is currently expressed mainly in summer, when the number of outdoor food outlets and food waste increases. During this period, birds get easy access to high-calorie food and less often get natural food.

Feoktistova explained that fast carbohydrates are not suitable for the diet of wild birds. With an excess of sugars, energy is not completely consumed and is deposited in the form of fat reserves.

"Obesity can, of course, lead to disorders of the cardiovascular system, and to the deterioration of flight," she noted.

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Mikhail Kalyakin, ornithologist and director of the Zoological Museum of Lomonosov Moscow State University, said on February 11 that more than 44 million sparrows live on the territory of the Russian Federation. According to him, other species are also present in Russia, but they do not participate in the census and their number can only be estimated approximately: red sparrow — no more than 5 thousand, black—breasted sparrow - 20-30 thousand pairs.

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