Saint Helena: Java Sparrows
One of the birds you can see a lot of on St Helena are the colorful Java Sparrows. The birds are not endemic (they come from Indonesia) and were intentionally introduced to St Helena in 1700s for being colorful and festive. In fact, it was prohibited to kill Java Sparrows – “ordered that nobody is to kill a Java Sparrow (an introduced species)on penalty of whipping (for a child) or a fine” in 1795 so that the birds could spread. The Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora) are rather small and very social and have very strong beak, capable of cracking hardy seeds and nuts. Lots of them can be ween around Jamestown.
