Sparrows, starlings, and settlement: migrations and mobilities of invasive species

Keywords: birds, ecology, anthropocene, political ecology, race space & nature, setller colonialism, ecological imperialism
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

This paper will discuss the history of introduced bird species in North America and the movement of these species as they spread across the continent following patterns of settlement and colonial expansion. Specifically, this paper will investigate the role of introducing European animals to North America as a part of settler attempts to "civilize" landscapes and shift ecologies to reflect those of Europe. These introductions were not by accident, but often part of work by “Acclimatizing Societies” that worked to change the environments to physically look like English gardens and countrysides.

The work will trace the history of four bird species that are ubiquitous in urban spaces: The House Sparrow, Starling, House Finch, and the Rock Pigeon. All four of these species have their own histories of introduction, of how they have effected the landscapes and ecologies of North America, and have particular movements that follow colonial expansion. Their effect has sometimes been devastating, as some of these species not only outcompete native species, but are also aggressive in their behaviours, sometimes killing other species to claim their nesting sites and pushing out eggs that they replace with their own. Their behaviour mirrors much of the history of dispossession and displacement of colonization.