Sparrows dying out due to humans? - Fusion - WeRIndia

Across the history of human civilization, people have always been charmed and fascinated with the small, yet resilient, sparrows that lived in every location.

From rural fields to small villages to big cities, sparrows have always lived everywhere, building their nests in various nooks and crannies.

Sparrows usually survive off of seeds and grains, which, for the city-dwelling sparrows, can be found aplenty at grocery stores.

They have also adapted to eat leftover human food, which can be found everywhere in city streets.

Adult sparrows also feed insects to their young children, which are also commonly found in human cities.

These sparrows came to be known as house sparrows, since they were commonly found outside of houses.

However, in recent years, the sparrow population has been rapidly declining in Indian cities.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) conducted a survey in 2013, which studied the population of house sparrows between then and 2005.

Their survey revealed that, in only seven years, house sparrows had vanished from about 50% of their previous habitat.

The Ela foundation also conducted a study which revealed that sparrow populations have seen a 50% drop in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik.

Since sparrows have always been such a common bird, no one thought that they needed conservation.

However, factors like modern architecture, excessive insecticide usage, and electromagnetic radiation from cell phone towers have caused the house sparrow population to drop sharply.

Now, people are spreading awareness about the declining house sparrow population and the need to conserve this species.

Mohammed Dilawar, a sparrow conservation activist, formed the Nature Forever Society (NFS). The NFS aims to involve citizens in the conservation movement in India.

The Limca Book of Records mentioned the NFS for their house sparrow conservation efforts and their distribution of bird feeders across 28 states.

The NFS also played a major role in making the house sparrow the state bird of Delhi in 2012.

Over 40,000 people have now joined the cause of the NFS, and Dilawar emphasizes that it is the responsibility of every citizen to conserve and protect the house sparrow population.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia