A sparrow sits atop a branch.Telegraph picture

Berhampur, Oct. 7: There has been a rapid decline in the population of the house sparrow (popularly known as gharachatia in Orissa), both in urban and rural areas.

Now, the Rushikulya Marine Turtle Protection Committee (RMTPC) has taken the job of conserving the house sparrow. They have been working on the project for the past two years at their base in Purunabandha in Ganjam district.

The committee has been involved in the protection of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles in Ganjam district for the last 16 years.

“We are trying to involve more people from different age groups, especially children, in conservation of the house sparrow. Right now we are educating school students about the nature, behaviour and the food habits of the bird. Recently, we visited Gopal Krushna High School at Subulia and Purunabandha School to spread awareness among students about the sparrows, which yielded a positive result,” said Rabindra Kumar Sahu, secretary, RMTPC.

“We are taking the initiative on our own. There is no financial support from the state or the Union governm ent. Rapid decline in the population of house sparrow everywhere worried me and so I took up this initiative,” he said.

“In Purunabandha, the number of house sparrows was 11 in 2008. Now, it has increased to 50, which includes 18 male and 32 female sparrows,” said Rabindra.

“There are a number of house sparrows at Mayurpada, Gokharkuda, Kantiagada, Khatiakuda and some other places and everybody must extend a helping hand to conserve them,” he said.

Jogendra Behera, a three-year-old boy, and his grandmother Kuni Behera of Purunabandha in Ganjam feed paddy to the house sparrows in the veranda of their house seven times daily.

“My grandson and I give paddy to the house sparrows at regular intervals. It gives us immense pleasure. They come in groups and their chir ping sound reminds us that they are hungry,” said Kuni Behera.

“It is quiet interesting that the house sparrows swallow rice from paddy after breaking the hard shell with their beak,” she said.

The sparrow’s main diet consists of grain seeds, especially waste grain and livestock feed.

Sparrows can adapt to any kind of diet if grain is not available.“It also eats weeds and insects, especially during the breeding season,” Rabindra said.

However, there has been a rapid decline in the population of these once abundant birds.

“Widespread use of chemical pesticides in farmlands resulted in the killings of insects on which these birds depended. Seed-eating birds like sparrows have to depend on soft-bodied insects to feed their young ones. It could also be linked to other factors such as the lack of nesting sites in modern concrete buildings, disappearing kitchen gardens and the non-availability of food sources,” said Rabindra.

House sparrows are generally attracted to buildings for roosting, nesting and cover.

They look for any man-made nook or cranny to build their nests. Other nesting sites are clothes line poles with the end caps open, lofts, kitchen garden and others.

The sparrow makes its home in areas closely associated with human habitation. Construction of houses under Indira Awas Yojana in rural areas is also another reason for the declining chart of house sparrows.

The male sparrow has a grey crown, cheeks and is black at the throat, upper breast and between the bill and eyes. The bill in summ er is blue-black and the legs are brown. In winter, pale edgings dull the plumage, and the bill becomes yellowish brown.

“The female has no black colouring on the head or throat. A grey crown on her upper part is streaked with brown. The juveniles are deeper brown and the white is replaced by beige, the beak is dull yellow,” said ornithologists.