House Sparrows and Starlings are not native birds and are not protected under federal law. If you have large sparrow or starling populations you would like to get under control, you may want to consider using a decoy or drop-in trap, also referred to as a “V-trap.” BAN members Leland Osten and Denny Cradick have both had success using this type of trap and information about this type of trap was also taken from a Nebraska Cooperative Extension Publication found at http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/wildlife/ncr451.htm.

Leland Osten: I made my V-trap out of 3/4” conduit and it disassembles so I can move it around. It easily fits in a pickup when it is knocked down. The first year I caught over 300 sparrows. In the following years, I caught 200, then 100, then 50. It really lowered the number of problems I had been having in my bluebird boxes with broken eggs and eggs pushed out of the

 nest. I usually set the trap in mid-July as that is the time you will mostly catch the just-hatched young (yellow on the side of their beak). I’m happy to see an adult in the trap but that doesn’t happen every day.

I bait my trap with cracked corn and sunflower seeds. Always provide water because you can catch a protected bird (goldfinch, house finch, etc). These need to be released immediately. Never leave this trap or any other trap unattended. I lay a 4-foot board over the slot to stop the trapping. In the trap I have a place for the birds to roost out of the rain, wind, and away from the raccoons who look for a free meal every night. Always leave a couple of sparrows in the trap as this increases your catching ability. To empty the trap I enter through the door with my fishing landing net. This trap is WLH 5x7x5 feet and has a 1 1/2” slot for sparrows (you would need to widen the slot to 1 3/4” for starlings).

D e n n y Cradick: The V-trap is a good one. I started trapping about four years ago and nabbed 500 to 600 house sparrows my first year. Since then, the flocks have thinned and my catch has tapered off. The best time to trap house sparrows is right after the young ones have hatched. They aren’t as experienced as the mature birds and are easily caught. Sometimes, you will get the young ones in the trap first and then the adults that follow them in to feed or protect them.

It is my experience that the best time to trap starlings is in wintertime when they are looking for food. You get 25 or 35 in the trap and you have to empty it. That’s about all that will go in at one time and you will need to clean it out. A small door in the trap allows me to reach in and catch each bird by hand or in a net.

The base of my trap is made out of wood, whereas Leland Osten’s is metal. Wood is cheaper to make but it will eventually rot. The wooden base also makes it heavier and harder to move than a metal one.

For bait, I use corn, bread or anything sparrows will eat. I use table scraps to lure starlings during the winter.

Monitoring is important because other birds do get caught in the trap. I’ve released finches and native sparrows. I’ve never had a robin or a cardinal get caught in the trap.

Materials Needed: