In the 1950s, the pest control campaign led by Mao Zedong killed sparrows, which were known to eat rice. Originally, the rice harvest should have increased due to the reduction of pests, but in ...

This photo shows a sparrow. The number of sparrows in Japan is on the decline, according to a recent survey. (Photo courtesy of Osamu Mikami, professor at Hokkaido University of Education's Hakodate ...