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They have disappeared so quietly that no one has noticed them go. Either that or in the din of city life, people have been too busy to realise their choral chirping is now a duet.<br><br>The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is no longer what it used to be - common. Instead, it is now placed alongside 39 other globally threatened birds in the Red List - species of high conservation concern - of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB), UK.<br><br>In recent years, ornithologists have reported a drastic decline in the population of the ubiquitous bird in several countries, including India. "The situation is similar to that in in Europe," says Dr Asad Rahmani, director, Bombay<br><br>Natural History Society (BNHS), pointing out Bangalore, Meerut, Saharanpur, Mumbai and Delhi as regions that have reported a decline. In Britain alone, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), there has been a 59 per cent drop in their numbers in 1994-2000 and a further 25 per cent in 2000-1.<br><br>A German study indicates that the sparrow population in Hamburg has halved in the past 30 years. The cause, however, remains one of wildlife's most enduring mysteries.<br><br>So much so that The Independent, London, as part of its Save the Sparrow Campaign, has announced a 5,000 pound (Rs 3.8 lakh) reward for the first convincing evidence of why the country's cultural emblem is in terrible trouble. India, however, is yet to take the problem seriously though it is hard to come by anyone who disagrees - when it is pointed out to them - that the birds are few and far between.<br><br>Given the lack of concern, BNHS was pleasantly surprised by an urgent request from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. An MP, who had read reports about the decrease in the sparrow population in the UK, wanted to know if the situation was similar in India and the ministry wanted BNHS' help to formulate a reply.<br><br>"But given the complete lack of scientific research it is hard to pin point reasons for their decline, let alone say that the situation is alarming," says Parikshit Gautam, director, Indigenous Species, World Wide Fund for Nature, Delhi. No one knows why the sparrow is on its flight to oblivion.<br><br>It could be a combination of reasons - decrease in food supply due to change in cropping patterns and use of pesticides, lack of nesting sites which is blamed on urbanisation, predation and "selective catching of male house sparrows for use in Unani medicines, especially in Meerut, Rampur and Agra regions", says Rahmani.<br><br>In the past, households in India bought beans as pods from vegetable markets. The larvae that came out of the pods served as excellent food for the sparrows apart from the usual cereals they found in the cities. With modernisation, beans in readily available packets have replaced the practice of buying pods.<br><br><table><tbody><tr><td><div align="center"><b>Why they are dying<br></b></div><ul><li>Reasons believed to be behind the decline in sparrow numbers </li><li>Reduction in food supply due to changes in agricultural practices like widespread use of pesticides. </li><li>Lack of nesting sites because of architectural changes. </li><li>Electromagnetic contamination due to rampant use of cell phones. </li><li>Increase in the population of predator species like hawks and cats.</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>The widespread use of pesticides and herbicides has also put a check on the insects that sparrows live on. "This might not be the case in Britain but Indians still continue to use hazardous pesticides that have been banned elsewhere," says Bill Harvey, a Delhi-based ornithologist whose book, A Photographic Guide to Birds in India, will be hitting the bookstands soon.<br><br>But the impact of pesticides on birds is largely unknown in India. The change in the architectural patterns from the old, spacious houses to close-knit "match box" constructions has also been a bane for the house sparrows: it means fewer crannies and holes for nesting.<br><br>Even in rural areas, brick houses are replacing the traditional mud and thatch ones. Gautam also points at the decrease in tolerance levels among people. "None of us seem to like the presence of birds in our apartments," he says.<br><br>Then there are studies that blame the decline on use of unleaded petrol, mobile phones and even an increase in the number of bird predators like cats, hawks and snakes that feed on the nestling or eggs.<br><br>The so-called cleaner fuel is said to contain benzene and methyl tertiary butyl ether that kill aphids on which the birds feed. Spanish scientists have found out that the birds tend to avoid places with high levels of electromagnetic contamination.<br><br>Now, in a study involving 30,000 birdwatchers in UK, the BTO will examine sparrow populations near mobile phone masts where electromagnetic fields are most concentrated. In their dusty brown and grey jackets, the sparrow's flight may at first seem inconsequential.<br><br>But sparrows could be to us what canaries were to the miners. Being social birds and ultimate survivors - they have been found breeding at 14,000 ft in the Himalayas and nearly 2,000 ft down in a Yorkshire coal mine - sparrows are good indicators of the state of the environment. "The air which a sparrow breathes is the same as the one we breathe.<br><br>Decline of common species is the first warning signal for us that we are doing something wrong with the environment," warns Rahmani. Besides, the house sparrow - though considered an avian rat and still classified as a pest species that can be controlled at any time of the year in many countries - has proven well-suited for studies of general biological problems such as evolutionary mechanisms, temperature metabolism and pest control.<br><br>The irony is, while "endangered", "threatened" and "rare" birds have been hogging all the attention of ornithologists and researchers, many common birds have been neglected. In his birdwatching sojourns across the country, Manoj Kulshrestha, state coordinator (Jaipur) of the Indian Birds Conservation Union (IBCN), has noted a decline in the population of many common birds like the mynah, black drongo, dove, Indian roller, magpie, robin and shrike.<br><br>But in India, the complacency about the numbers of common birds translates into apathy. "Sparrows, like other common birds, are not a Schedule I or Schedule II species, so no one seems interested," says Gautam.<br><br>"In our country, no research work is being done on common birds not due to lack of funds but mainly lack of interest and awareness," confirms Rahmani. "Barring the BNHS studies on vultures, as far as I know there is no ongoing study on the state of common birds."<br><br>Now the BNHS and the IBCN, with the help of RSPB, are planning to start a scheme to monitor common birds in India. Through workshops, society members will be familiarised with basic bird census methodologies so that quantifiable data can be collected. Kulshreshtha hopes they will be able to bring out a report by the year-end.<br><br>Besides, BNHS has also approached the government for funds for the proposal, the objectives of which include developing a baseline data on common birds, assessing their population trends, training a cadre of ornithologists, birdwatchers, forest department staff and general public to aid in the long-term monitoring.<br><br>It also proposes to involve the general public to increase awareness about bird conservation. "In the UK, one of the parameters of the quality of life is the number of birds found in an area," says Rahmani.<br><br>"Perhaps we should also develop environmental quality as a primary criteria for the quality of life beside income, literacy, water availability and health care." It took the death of only one sparrow for naturalist Salim Ali, the grand old man of Indian ornithology, to pursue a life-long interest in the feathered species - his autobiography is called The Fall of the Sparrow.<br><br>Almost a century after his awakening, it is time Indians woke up to the intermittent chirping of the house sparrows. Otherwise, the silence could be numbing.<div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jun 9, 2003 00:00 IST</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

environment

Environment

They have disappeared so quietly that no one has noticed them go. Either that or in the din of city life, people have been too busy to realise their choral chirping is now a duet.<br><br>The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is no longer what it used to be - common. Instead, it is now placed alongside 39 other globally threatened birds in the Red List - species of high conservation concern - of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB), UK.<br><br>In recent years, ornithologists have reported a drastic decline in the population of the ubiquitous bird in several countries, including India. "The situation is similar to that in in Europe," says Dr Asad Rahmani, director, Bombay<br><br>Natural History Society (BNHS), pointing out Bangalore, Meerut, Saharanpur, Mumbai and Delhi as regions that have reported a decline. In Britain alone, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), there has been a 59 per cent drop in their numbers in 1994-2000 and a further 25 per cent in 2000-1.<br><br>A German study indicates that the sparrow population in Hamburg has halved in the past 30 years. The cause, however, remains one of wildlife's most enduring mysteries.<br><br>So much so that The Independent, London, as part of its Save the Sparrow Campaign, has announced a 5,000 pound (Rs 3.8 lakh) reward for the first convincing evidence of why the country's cultural emblem is in terrible trouble. India, however, is yet to take the problem seriously though it is hard to come by anyone who disagrees - when it is pointed out to them - that the birds are few and far between.<br><br>Given the lack of concern, BNHS was pleasantly surprised by an urgent request from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. An MP, who had read reports about the decrease in the sparrow population in the UK, wanted to know if the situation was similar in India and the ministry wanted BNHS' help to formulate a reply.<br><br>"But given the complete lack of scientific research it is hard to pin point reasons for their decline, let alone say that the situation is alarming," says Parikshit Gautam, director, Indigenous Species, World Wide Fund for Nature, Delhi. No one knows why the sparrow is on its flight to oblivion.<br><br>It could be a combination of reasons - decrease in food supply due to change in cropping patterns and use of pesticides, lack of nesting sites which is blamed on urbanisation, predation and "selective catching of male house sparrows for use in Unani medicines, especially in Meerut, Rampur and Agra regions", says Rahmani.<br><br>In the past, households in India bought beans as pods from vegetable markets. The larvae that came out of the pods served as excellent food for the sparrows apart from the usual cereals they found in the cities. With modernisation, beans in readily available packets have replaced the practice of buying pods.<br><br><table class="mceVisualAid" style="margin-right: 5px; background-color: rgb(229, 229, 229); " width="200" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td class="mceVisualAid"><div align="center"><b style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Why they are dying<br></b></div><ul><li>Reasons believed to be behind the decline in sparrow numbers </li><li>Reduction in food supply due to changes in agricultural practices like widespread use of pesticides. </li><li>Lack of nesting sites because of architectural changes. </li><li>Electromagnetic contamination due to rampant use of cell phones. </li><li>Increase in the population of predator species like hawks and cats.</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>The widespread use of pesticides and herbicides has also put a check on the insects that sparrows live on. "This might not be the case in Britain but Indians still continue to use hazardous pesticides that have been banned elsewhere," says Bill Harvey, a Delhi-based ornithologist whose book, A Photographic Guide to Birds in India, will be hitting the bookstands soon.<br><br>But the impact of pesticides on birds is largely unknown in India. The change in the architectural patterns from the old, spacious houses to close-knit "match box" constructions has also been a bane for the house sparrows: it means fewer crannies and holes for nesting.<br><br>Even in rural areas, brick houses are replacing the traditional mud and thatch ones. Gautam also points at the decrease in tolerance levels among people. "None of us seem to like the presence of birds in our apartments," he says.<br><br>Then there are studies that blame the decline on use of unleaded petrol, mobile phones and even an increase in the number of bird predators like cats, hawks and snakes that feed on the nestling or eggs.<br><br>The so-called cleaner fuel is said to contain benzene and methyl tertiary butyl ether that kill aphids on which the birds feed. Spanish scientists have found out that the birds tend to avoid places with high levels of electromagnetic contamination.<br><br>Now, in a study involving 30,000 birdwatchers in UK, the BTO will examine sparrow populations near mobile phone masts where electromagnetic fields are most concentrated. In their dusty brown and grey jackets, the sparrow's flight may at first seem inconsequential.<br><br>But sparrows could be to us what canaries were to the miners. Being social birds and ultimate survivors - they have been found breeding at 14,000 ft in the Himalayas and nearly 2,000 ft down in a Yorkshire coal mine - sparrows are good indicators of the state of the environment. "The air which a sparrow breathes is the same as the one we breathe.<br><br>Decline of common species is the first warning signal for us that we are doing something wrong with the environment," warns Rahmani. Besides, the house sparrow - though considered an avian rat and still classified as a pest species that can be controlled at any time of the year in many countries - has proven well-suited for studies of general biological problems such as evolutionary mechanisms, temperature metabolism and pest control.<br><br>The irony is, while "endangered", "threatened" and "rare" birds have been hogging all the attention of ornithologists and researchers, many common birds have been neglected. In his birdwatching sojourns across the country, Manoj Kulshrestha, state coordinator (Jaipur) of the Indian Birds Conservation Union (IBCN), has noted a decline in the population of many common birds like the mynah, black drongo, dove, Indian roller, magpie, robin and shrike.<br><br>But in India, the complacency about the numbers of common birds translates into apathy. "Sparrows, like other common birds, are not a Schedule I or Schedule II species, so no one seems interested," says Gautam.<br><br>"In our country, no research work is being done on common birds not due to lack of funds but mainly lack of interest and awareness," confirms Rahmani. "Barring the BNHS studies on vultures, as far as I know there is no ongoing study on the state of common birds."<br><br>Now the BNHS and the IBCN, with the help of RSPB, are planning to start a scheme to monitor common birds in India. Through workshops, society members will be familiarised with basic bird census methodologies so that quantifiable data can be collected. Kulshreshtha hopes they will be able to bring out a report by the year-end.<br><br>Besides, BNHS has also approached the government for funds for the proposal, the objectives of which include developing a baseline data on common birds, assessing their population trends, training a cadre of ornithologists, birdwatchers, forest department staff and general public to aid in the long-term monitoring.<br><br>It also proposes to involve the general public to increase awareness about bird conservation. "In the UK, one of the parameters of the quality of life is the number of birds found in an area," says Rahmani.<br><br>"Perhaps we should also develop environmental quality as a primary criteria for the quality of life beside income, literacy, water availability and health care." It took the death of only one sparrow for naturalist Salim Ali, the grand old man of Indian ornithology, to pursue a life-long interest in the feathered species - his autobiography is called The Fall of the Sparrow.<br><br>Almost a century after his awakening, it is time Indians woke up to the intermittent chirping of the house sparrows. Otherwise, the silence could be numbing.<div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jun 9, 2003 00:00 IST</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

Pesticides, urbanisation, lead-free fuel, mobile phones, cats could all be drastically reducing the population of the sparrow.<br />

India Today

Pesticides, urbanisation, lead-free fuel, mobile phones, cats could all be drastically reducing the population of the sparrow.

Common no more - India Today

On the edge of extinction: House sparrow population has halved in past 30 years

Common no more

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On the edge of extinction: House sparrow population has halved in past 30 years

Pesticides, urbanisation, lead-free fuel, mobile phones, cats could all be drastically reducing the population of the sparrow.

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