SPARROWS on the fringe

SPARROWS on the fringe
Jayashree Nandi | TNN

Bangalore: A lot has been spoken about sparrows that were once a part of every household and have abandoned the cities completely. But are they still abundant in rural areas? Ornithologists don’t think so.
In addition to change in architecture of our houses that doesn’t allow these tiny creatures to nest and increasing pollution levels in the city, experts say pesticides are one of the prime reasons behind their depletion. There has been no official documentation on population of sparrows or any enquiry behind their disappearance.
Recently, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has proposed a study on reasons behind the decline of this species to the environment and forests ministry, but the latter is yet to act on it.
House sparrows lived among humans and used to be common in towns, villages and other fringe areas. They never thrived in forests or wild areas because their primary sources of food are seeds, insects and
grains. However, member of Karnataka State Wildlife
Board and former principal scientist of BNHS says there is no shortage of food for these species.
Also, change in architecture or increased pollution levels alone cannot make a species extinct. But slow poisoning through pesticides and fertilizers can be an important factor. “Earlier, there was abundance of house sparrows; you could find them everywhere, and there is no major reason for them to disappear suddenly. Nobody hunts sparrows when they nest at houses. Food is in plenty for them too; however, the kind of food they are having could be fatal. Pesticides and fertilizers have damaged their genetic system and over time, most have stopped reproducing,” he explains.
Dilawar Mohammed, former project officer of BNHS, is engaged in a lone project to conserve house sparrows. “India is the largest user of pesticides and fertilizers. I think the decline of sparrows in urban areas could be due to changing architecture. But what about sparrow population in agricultural areas? Even in our backyards and municipal gardens, we use chemicals to nurture exotic plants. When sparrows feed on insects in the gardens, they also
consume poison,” he
said.
INDICATOR SPECIES
The house sparrow is an ‘indicator species’ that shows how our ecology and habitat is changing. If the habitat of sparrows could change drastically due to pesticides and other issues, then human beings are also going to face some consequences. Sparrows control insect population better than pesticides, according to ornithologists. From this theory, if the use of pesticides is reduced, then sparrows will breed faster and agriculture will also benefit.
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
According to Hussain, some sparrow pockets are still active. Recently, he noticed a lot of sparrows at Mangalore airport, which is an unlikely place for them to thrive. In coastal regions — Mangalore and Western Ghats — which receive high rainfall, the number of sparrows has not declined as much as in other areas. This may be because the rain washes off pesticides. “I think they will come back in huge numbers if we managed to preserve and nurture the few remaining sparrow pockets. A lot of attention and funding is going towards species like vultures. I don’t think the scavengers are in serious danger of extinction because if not in the cities, you can find many vultures in the wild,” he explains.
SOLUTIONS
There is no official documentation of sparrows, so the first thing experts suggest is to have an integrated enquiry to find out the status of sparrows in India. Ornithological departments in agricultural universities could be a good source of information. Reduction in the use of pesticides and fertilizers is highly recommended. Citizens can play a big role in conservation. Bird feeders and nest houses are available in the market, which will help in attracting common species like sparrows and mynas, if not exotic ones. Breeding sparrows at home if the best thing one can do.