House Sparrows
House Sparrows: Today is world sparrow day. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of house sparrows and other common birds to the environment. House sparrows are one of the most widely distributed wild birds on the planet. And they are highly social birds often forming flocks with other types of birds. The little pale brown and grey colored sparrow’s chirrups are often heard in the morning indicating that the sun is coming up. This gregarious and always on alert bird is a human friend. Well adapted to living around humans, it frequently lives and breeds indoors. It generally feeds on grains, weeds, insects and leftover human food.
These common birds are found in abundance around the globe but the vast disappearance of these little bird’s population in recent years is a matter of concern. In Great Britain, sparrows are reduced in number by 68%. In some regions, the population has even declined by 90%. In the Netherlands, the house sparrows are considered as an endangered species. They are declared as a state bird of Delhi in 2012, in order to preserve them.
The various reasons for this dramatic decrease have been proposed, mainly the lack of trees which causes loss of nesting sites for the birds. The greens are vanishing fast in cities and suburbs.
The heavy use of pesticides and weedicides to kill insects and remove weed respectively also results in lack of food for the common birds.
In many parts of the worlds, sparrows are considered as pests and are killed aggravating the problem.
Electromagnetic radiations from mobile phones, TV, and internet are elevating the decline in their population.
Moreover, environmental degradation, lack of clean water and poor air quality are also affecting the bird’s habitat.
Sparrows are ambassadors of all the common birds. Protecting them would be equivalent to protecting all the common birds. Looking at the bright side, there are people and committees dedicated to preserving these common birdies…
Many people keep water and food grains on their rooftops for thirsty and hungry sparrows and other birds.
Planting native trees and gardens can provide shelters and nesting spots.
People are encouraged to keep little birdhouses and cardboard boxes at the corners of their houses and not to clean or disturb the nest until the birds teach their young ones to fly.
It is advised to set up the mobile towers outside and around the city.
The little things like littering, throwing little plastic things and spitting gum on the streets need to be discouraged as the birds often mistake them for food and they choke while swallowing them and die.
In addition to creating awareness among common folks, world sparrow day also has a broad vision. It builds a platform where people involved in the conservation of these birds, committees, organizations can share thoughts and ideas and help each other out to achieve a common goal. With the mixed efforts of different people coming together for a common cause, the results would be highly efficient. The aim is to provide a common meeting ground for people from different parts of the world working for the preservation of biodiversity and its species.
A change is needed and efforts are required to be made in order to reverse the declining figures of the common bird’s population before it’s too late and they start lying on the verge of extinction. Let’s not create a future where we have to wake up without any chirrups!
We, on Buzz on Earth, are throwing some light on the importance of preservation of common birds on world sparrow day. If you would like to share any ideas, get on board and help us create a buzz because what you say matters!