Karnataka - Bangalore   

Where have all the sparrows gone?

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Welcome sight:The rarely seen sparrow spotted in Bangalore recently.

BANGALORE: Bird lovers have for long lamented the dwindling numbers of sparrows in our modern urban spaces. And Bangalore, with its indomitable concrete, glass and chrome landscape, is no exception.

A group of naturalists, who gathered at the Rotary Club in Malleswaram, discussed this very global phenomenon and brainstormed to find ways to mitigate various factors that are contributing to the disappearance of their winged friends.

President of Nature Forever, Mohammed Esmail Dilawar, said: “India has spent crores of rupees to conserve animals such as the tiger, the elephant and the rhinoceros, but species such as the sparrow have long been neglected. This has led to extreme ecological imbalances.”

Now, a ‘domestic' bird, the sparrow has thrived around the presence of human beings for over 10,000 years. From nests that are as high as 14,000 feet, say in Ladakh, down to 400 feet below crevices in iron mines in the U.K., they've been found everywhere where human beings inhabit, and nowhere where they do not. So why has Bangalore witnessed a decline in the number of sparrows, ask nature lovers.

“Bangalore has become an ‘urban green desert'. The plants growing in gardens are exotic and the pesticides to protect them are poisonous for the pests, and therefore, for the sparrows who feed on them. Hundreds of acres of exotic, mono-cultural species of trees are grown, destroying the roosting grounds and the feeding sites for the sparrow,” Mr. Dilawar explained.

Wooing them back

But with the denizens of Bangalore taking initiatives to save sparrows, things could look up for these chirpy creatures. Saroja, a resident of Bangalore, said: “Old thatched roofs and native buildings are necessary for sustaining house sparrow populations. We have to spread awareness; this is the least we can do for our future. I've grown up with tens of thousands of sparrows around, livening up my day, and it's sad to see our children grow up in dull surroundings such as these.”

Mr. Dilawar said, “By simple and cheap practices such as replacing exotic hedges with the native Adulsa, installing nest houses, encouraging organic farming and even by placing a bowl of water outside our homes, the difference made to sparrows could be immeasurable.”

The Rotary also discussed plans to plant more trees to create more bird-friendly patches in the city.

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