Declining house sparrows a call to attention

House sparrow is the most familiar bird which is associated with human habitation. Be it a growing city like Bhopal or a village in interiors of India one can hear chirping call notes of house sparrows and see the birds fluffing its feathers.  But their population is declining, and to draw attention to this species March 20, is marked as World House Sparrow Day. Promoted by Nature Forever Society, in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (U.S.), Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France), Avon Wildlife Trust (U.K.) and numerous other organizations, it is an effort to raise awareness about the decline of the bird and bring out the problems faced by the bird in discourse. Declining population of the bird provides a warning that the urban ecosystem is experiencing some environmental changes unsuitable for human health in the immediate future. The house sparrow is a species that has evolved with humans and is always found in and around human habitations, and is one of the indicator of urban ecosystem. With growing in urbanization in India, need is to monitor the changes happening to this little bird.

House sparrow normally nests in collection of straws, feathers or rubbish, within households are near our surroundings. In a village it is seen within compounds in the house and reminds of old time where they were found under a picture frame in house compound or inside a parapet, or inside stores.

Bhopal which is growing city, with rapid growth in urbanization, tress are giving way to concrete, their population is declining. Modification in urban architecture, with new style building and flats coming up giving limited space for their nesting ground, excessive use of microwaves by installing mobile towers and increased in pollution levels is impacting lives of these house birds. Since many of the factors responsible for this decline are manmade, hence the day is call to attention and giving them space in our lives.