The sweet chirping sound of sparrows was music to the ears of residents of Jamia Nagar, but not anymore as they have become a rare site in the locality, writes Md Qaiser Khan.
With the mushrooming of buildings in the locality and dwindling greenery, they are rarely seen on the balcony or on a window grills of a house. Md. Mushtaq a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave and a bird lover said: “A few years ago we would be greeted with the sweet chirping sound of this beautiful bird but not anymore. My children would love it. They always get excited after watching them. However, now we miss them.”
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The decrease in their numbers is alarming. A bird watcher Anwer said: “Cutting down of trees has stopped these sparrows from coming to this locality. Besides, construction of new buildings has also played a role.”
A technical adviser said: “The increase in use of cell phones and wireless adapters has forced the sparrows to flee from this locality to more green pastures. The electromagnetic radiations emitted by cellphones and Wi-fi routers are having an impact on the breeding of these birds.”
A resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Their decreasing population is a big problem. But we are working on ways to attract these birds. Dwindling greenery has also an impact on the population of the sparrows.”
Many residents and bird lovers are concerned over the decrease in their numbers. Md Ishaq said: “Electro- magnetic radiation is greatly affecting the breeding of sparrows.”
However, there are some who are least bothered about their existence. Another resident said: “Sparrows consume agricultural products and hence create problem. I am quite happy that now we are safe at least inside our houses.”
But their numbers are negligible in the locality with many still missing the sparrows. They want the sparrows to invade their houses and balcony.
Every year, March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about their dwindling numbers. Sparrows’ declining population in the country was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“In childhood, we had watched sparrows on our roofs, they play important role in maintaining biodiversity. But nowadays, we can barely spot a sparrow in cities, due to increased urbanisation. There are many children of today’s generation who have seen sparrows only in pictures or videos. Some unique efforts are being made to bring back this lovely bird in the lives of such children,” Modi said in his address during the 116th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
Modi said: “Chennai’s Kudugal Trust has involved school children in its campaign to increase the sparrow population. The people of the institute train the children in school that sparrows are very important in everyday life. This institute trains children to make sparrow’s nest. For this, the people of the institute taught the children to make a small wooden house, made arrangements for sparrows living and food. Children’s participated enthusiastically and made 10,000 such nests in 4 years. With this effort, their population has started increasing significantly in the area. An organization in Mysore, Karnataka has started a campaign called ‘Early Bird’ for children. This organization runs a special kind of library to tell children about birds. Not only this, ‘Nature Education Kit’ has been prepared to instill a sense of responsibility towards nature in children. You can also make such efforts to inculcate such responsibilities and information in children…”
Key steps to stop sparrow decline
Several efforts have been initiated to protect sparrows and stop their decline, some being successful in villages. However, struggle continues to bring them back to big cities like Delhi.
Other than NGOs, Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal has also contributed significantly to sparrow conservation. He has set up 50 nests in his home, where sparrows return every year to lay their eggs. He ensures that they are fed and taken care of. His efforts were even praised by Modi, who highlighted the importance of such initiatives in protecting sparrows.
World Sparrow Day is a reminder of the importance of preserving our tiny feathered friends. Whether it’s by planting more greenery, reducing pesticide use or creating safe nesting spaces, every small effort counts. By celebrating World Sparrow Day, we can help bring these little birds back into our lives and preserve the harmony between nature and humanity.
A discussion on the disappearing sparrows of Delhi was held on Reddit two years ago with a netizen posting this question: “I was just thinking it’s so heartbreaking to witness the dwindling population of sparrows in Delhi. As children, we reveled in the joy of waking up to their cheerful chirping. Same is the case with peacocks. Today, they are alarmingly scarce. I am sure it’s not the only thing which has changed a lot. What other things have changed in Delhi over the last few years, which you fondly remember and miss?
While responding to the question, a netizen wrote: “Due to pigeons. Highly aggresive species and unhygienic. They literally eradicated sparrows from Delhi alone.” But there were others who didn’t agree with it and another person wrote: “I see many people blaming pigeon for it. Pigeons are not the reasons we are …sparrows made their nest in house as with today’s house which it’s completely sealed it’s hard for them to find the good place and they are force to make nest on tree which are less safe for them means reduce in success in population increases…… That’s all I have to say and I am not making this up I had the same question in mind and I came to know about this from the internet…”
To stop sparrows from disappearing, a combination of conservation actions, awareness, and urban planning reforms are needed. House sparrows (Passer domesticus) have seen drastic declines in many parts of the world, including India and the UK, due to urbanization, habitat loss, air pollution, and the disappearance of their food sources. The big question is: Are we ready to take these actions to bring back sparrows to our areas in Delhi.
