This is Bird Note. I'm Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist.

Growing up in Chicago, I remember seeing a lot of house burrows, in my neighborhood, downtown, and even inside the McDonald's at Navy Pier.

While my classmates shrieked in terror at the little birds flying around the restaurant

looking for food, I recall looking at them in fascination, wondering how they got here.

The house barrel is native to Eurasia and North Africa. However, these birds were forced to adapt to many places around the world.

They were brought to the U.S. by way of Brooklyn in 1851 to control pesky caterpillars.

House barrels now live in cities on nearly every continent where they get hate for being urban pests.

But I admire these birds and can't help but see parallels between house sparrows and the story of my own ancestors,

taken from their home range and spread throughout the world for purpose,

forced to adapt, and now they thrive. A true story of resilience. This week is Black Birders

Week. To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag Black Birders Week.

To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag Black Birders Week on social media and visit birdnote.org.

I'm Deja Perkins.