Brooklyn’s attempt to control a caterpillar infestation by introducing house sparrows in the 1850s backfired spectacularly, as the birds showed little interest in their intended prey and instead thrived on grain. Originally brought from England to curb tree damage, the sparrows quickly established themselves as an invasive species, shifting their diet away from caterpillars. The failed experiment highlights how unintended ecological consequences can arise from human efforts to manage nature. Researchers now study the case as a cautionary example of species introduction gone wrong.
In 1852 the Brooklyn Institute released eight pairs of house sparrows to eat the caterpillars stripping the borough's shade trees, and topped the colony up with more birds from England the next year; the sparrows mostly ignored the caterpillars — they eat grain ScienceBlog.com
