A STUDY ON THE FOOD STUFF OF THE SPARROWS IN KUNMING AREA

For 458 specimens of sparrow (Passer montanus malaccensis Dubois) being secured in Kunming area, from which, their stomachs and crops were examined. It can be ascertained that they live mainly on vegetable stuff, the diet being contained of about 94.5% vegetable, while, that of the insects being 5.48% only, therefore, they are vegetarian as a whole. Among which, the diet, that of the agriculture products occupied at 86.26%, exceeded the amount of the rest stuff, moreover, its frequency emerged for about 36.99%, form the total number of the crops and stomachs, the weed seeds, 17.04%, the next. Althorgh the insect feeding is neither large in amount nor high in frequency, 5.48%-12.33%, as much of which regarded very often as being insect pests during summer and autumn, which, it ought to be something beneficial to the Biological enviroment protection. During winter, normally, the sparrows eat some grain remains in the field and weed seeds, it would not be harmful to agriculture. As a good many agriculture products were eaten by sparrews as their favourable food, during the harvest time, some measures ought to be adopted for prevention and control to avoid the damage on crops.