Under the house eaves the baby sparrows chirping
As they beg for food in their untidy nest of hay
Near human dwellings they are quite familiar
They never cease to chirp all through the day.
Francis Duggan
“But where have all the sparrows gone?” A familiar refrain of grandparents, and older relatives. What is this house sparrow that they are talking about, you might wonder.
A tiny chirpy plump bird, the house sparrow, has caught the attention of the world, for suddenly people have realised that these chirpy birds, so much a part of their lives, are no longer to be seen, at least not as frequently as before. The house sparrows, true to their name, live closely with humans and you would have found them actually taking over the house!
Achchamma, now in her late 60s reminisces, “We actually switched off the fans when they flew in and out busily going about their business, for there were one or two nasty incidents when they got caught in the fan blades.”
She also remembers her grandmother warning her that if she didn't eat her rice fast enough, the sparrows were more than capable of nibbling off the food from her plate (she would have loved to have given the whole meal to the sparrow and run off to play is another story.)
Notorious for its bullying ways and known to usurp nests of bigger birds, the house sparrow lived close to humans, as food was always available.
Sadly, humans and their lifestyle changed.
Rice and other grain were now bought in shops, polished and packed and ready to be cooked.
Gardens vanished, along with it, disappeared worms and insects that were part of the birds diet, especially the chicks diet. Pruned trees and exotic gardens are avoided by birds.
The disappearance of old fashioned houses with eaves, cosy little niches and nooks and corners for the birds to build their untidy nests has now given way to sleek and smooth buildings that don't offer any “hospitality” to the house sparrows, to share their “habitat”.
A more lethal reason is the chemicals used in urban and also in neo agrarian set up. The introduction of unleaded petrol is one, as the combustion of which produces compound methyl nitrite, which is highly toxic for insects that forms a vital part of a chick's diet. Young birds cannot thrive without their accustomed food and the decline became more severe.
The recent threat to the birds comes in the form of emissions sent out from mobile towers. These affect insects and the hatching of bird's eggs.
Theodore Baskaran, conservationist says, “All birds, not only the house sparrows are disappearing. People should come together and form action groups to help conserve these beautiful creatures. People must opt for organic repellents and pesticides as it will be a major step to preserve the natural world.”
The bond between the world of birds and humans can be seen depicted in tribal fork art, especially of the Worli and the Sauras. In the swirling designs painted on the walls of their huts, you will see the paintings of daily chores and the depiction of birds pecking at the fallen grain near the huts.
There is mention of sparrows in The Bible and the Tolkappiam has references and in contemporary literature.
Shelley's reference to the sparrow, Subramanya Bharathi's preference for the sparrow as a bird of freedom and Mahadevi Verma's short story “Goraiya” are noteworthy.
It is time we asked ourselves: Have we driven out the little bird?
In other tongues
The house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) is a species of passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae . It has feathers mostly in different shades of brown and grey. They love to feed on food grains and worms. They are doting parents and both male and the female take care of their chicks. In India, it is popularly known as goraiya in Hindi. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala it is known as kuruvi . In Telugu it is known as the pichhuka , and in Kannada, gubbachchi . The Gujaratis call it chakli whereas the Maharashtrians call it chimani . It is known as chiri in Punjab, chaer in Jammu and Kashmir, Charai Pakhi in West Bengal, and gharachatia in Orissa. In Urdu it is called chirya while in Sindhi, it is known as jhirki .
You can
Sprinkle grain on the terrace
Keep out nest boxes and clean water
Avoid chemical pesticides and insecticides – opt for organic ones
Lead a more environment friendly life
You can also join the World House Sparrow Day group on Facebook.
For more information visit: >www.worldsparrowday.org
>http://www.worldhousesparrowday.org
