{
  "id": 10706459,
  "title": "In 1851,16 house sparrows were released in Brooklyn, reportedly to eat caterpillars; in less than 50 years, they spread",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/in-1851-16-house-sparrows-were-released-in-brooklyn-reportedly-to-eat",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T13:45:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/in-1851-16-house-sparrows-were-released-in-brooklyn-reportedly-to-eat-caterpillars-in-less-than-50-years-they-spread-101790677725700.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "In 1851, about 16 sparrows were released in Brooklyn to eat caterpillars. Within 50 years, they had spread across the US and were crowding out native birds.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}