House sparrows are one of the most commonly seen birds in the city in house roofs, sunshades and buildings and gardens. As per IUCN list they are of Least Concern, yet is on the verge of shifting to the vulnerable category at the rate that modernisation of metropolitan cities are affecting their niche in the cities and increasing shortage of food. I still remember when I was a kid playing with sparrows and having them building nests at home and nearby garden. I have watched them hatch eggs and feed their chicks.
They belong to the family of Passer and are cosmopolitan entertainers of the city, though predominantly feeding on seeds, grains and small insects. They are unusually cute, small, plumpy little birds that are brown in colour with grey feathers in between their wings and tail with stubby and powerful beaks. Male house sparrows are brighter brown in colour, while the female sparrows are dull and grubby. Stripes of black, brown and buff on sparrows are the striking features of male sparrows.
House sparrows are very noisy and in groups they enjoy your garden and roofs, food and water. You could find their nests holes in your house roofs, bird’s nest, bird box, roof tops, traffic signals, shop sign boards and fences. They are found more common in human acquaintances and found mostly in the city and farmstead.
With the decrease in number of sparrows and spotting them becoming a rare occasion in daily life, March 20th, of every year has been declared as “World Sparrow Day”. This has been reported at various instances that the number of sparrows are slowly disappearing in the cities of United States, in India at major cities like Bangalore, Chennai and other metropolis. What usually happens on this day is a celebration by conservationists and environmentalists to host programmes for breeding and conserving sparrows by active individuals, national and international groups. The decline in number was first noticed in the year 1990s. Citizen Sparrow is a Citizen Science Programme and Education and Public Engagement Programme; Bring Back Sparrow is an environmental campaign initiated by an individual hailing from Bangalore, working as a full-time dentist, Dr. Harish Narayan and the implementation of Project Sparrow by a few students in Chennai. There are many such similar programmes working towards the cause for saving sparrows and in the year 2010 a stamp was released by the Indian Postal Department.
What you can do near your house?
Place a bird box and a feeder outside the garden or near the window or under the sunshade.
Water bowls and bird bath are some other option to invite and attract sparrows and is a conservatory measure.
Always try to have some space for garden at your home or apartment where you will find some niche for sparrows.
SPARROWS! You Will See A Chirpy Fulfilling Happiness Entering Your Home!
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