Unlike general "bird haters," @sparrowhater has a specific, twisted taxonomy of disgust. The account has established a bizarre set of rules over 6+ years:
The account’s most-liked tweet (over 280k likes) is a 15-second video of a sparrow splashing aggressively in a bird bath. The caption reads: "Look at this. No humility. No grace. Just violence and wetness. This is what I’m talking about." The replies were split: half were crying-laughing emojis, half were serious birders explaining that "sparrows are actually vital to the ecosystem."
Ellis replied to the top birder comment with: "Vital? Vital to what? My anxiety?"
Twitter is famous for "gimmick accounts." "Sparrowhater" could easily be the handle of a popular parody account. sparrowhater twitter
The most probable meaning is a micro-community of users who bond over a specific grievance. On Twitter, communities often form around "hating" specific things (e.g., specific fictional characters, celebrities, or even animals).
As of this article, @sparrowhater is still active, though the posting frequency has slowed to a few times per week. The latest photos show Ellis has moved to a small apartment with a "sparrow-proof" balcony—netting, reflective tape, and a plastic owl.
The last viral tweet, posted two months ago, shows a sparrow sitting on the plastic owl’s head. The caption: "Respect. I have no words left. Just respect for my enemy." Unlike general "bird haters," @sparrowhater has a specific,
In that single tweet, the entire arc completed. The villain became the tragic hero. The hater became the grudging admirer.
Whether @sparrowhater is a real person losing a silent war or a comedian executing a decade-long bit, one thing is certain: they made millions of people look at a common sparrow, pause for a second, and laugh.
And in the dying light of old Twitter, that might be the closest thing to art we have left. Follow the ongoing saga at @sparrowhater (if you dare)
Follow the ongoing saga at @sparrowhater (if you dare). Just don’t bring up robins in the replies.
In an elaborate bit, Ellis claimed to have hired a "pest control friend" to install a motion-activated speaker that played hawk noises. The thread documented three days of "success." On day four, Ellis tweeted a photo of a sparrow sitting on top of the speaker, staring into the camera. The caption: "It’s toying with me. It knows the hawk is a lie. I am living in a Hitchcock film."