The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is the most widely distributed bird in the world. It was first recorded in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish biologist and physician. It is the State Bird of Delhi and Bihar. It is a social species, found in groups of 8 – 10, chirping and chattering to communicate with one another.
The Indian House Sparrow (Passer domesticus indicus) is the subspecies found here. True to its love for urban spaces, the house sparrow is known to nest in buildings, and using the nest boxes we provide. It feeds mostly on seeds, but in the breeding season, adults catch insects and feed their young with insects.
Its population is on the decline, especially in the urban areas, in recent decades. The reasons are modern designs of infrastructure that are unsuitable for nest-building, pollution caused by microwave towers and pesticides, and the depletion of foraging grounds (natural grasslands) as the green spaces in our cities shrink. ‘World Sparrow Day’ is observed on March 20 to raise awareness about the conservation of the house sparrow and other urban birds. Custom-made nest boxes for sparrows, grains, seeds, etc are distributed to encourage sparrow-breeding.
– Vincent Vanur
