Silently Dying Creature

dying creature

Still remember my childhood days when I used to admire peacefully how beautiful these sparrows are. I spent hours observing their behavior, running after them, playing around them and listening to their melodious chirping. These were my most liked things to do.

House sparrows was once an important part of our environment that lived in the corners of our houses, on our garden trees, people used to built special place in their houses for sparrows to build their nest and sometimes in our spare tyres too. They mostly lived on our leftover food particles and insects which also have high effect on food web. Study suggests that house sparrows shared their space with early humans they were always our part of life and are helpful in plantation.

Unfortunately this beautiful creation of AL-MIGHTY is fading away with time and at a faster rate. Decline in their population can easily be seen throughout the world in both urban and rural areas. There are many factors which are contributing in their extinction. Due to which House sparrows become the part of red list of endangered species of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Their population is decreasing throughout the world. In UK recent study has shown us that house sparrow’s population decline rate has exceeded to 71% but this decline is not only related to one part of the world. It is also seen in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and North America.

In India a major decline has been seen in their population which has dropped to 70-80%.

Numerous reasons have been associated with their decline from functionality to mentality. Most common reason is modernization. Modern lifestyle has left no space for these tiny little creatures. Infrastructure of houses has become advance with time we have built cemented glass houses with tiles marbles and covered roofs. Due to which they are unable to find their habitat for their nest, for their home. We have cut trees to build Shopping Malls, stores, roads for our own ease but on the other hand we are destroying our nature, our wildlife, our planet, our only home. Deforestation is not destroying wildlife habitat but it is also contributing to climate change and lack of food which is believed to be the other reason in vanishing of house sparrows.

In this modern era and rush life everyone likes to use packed, clean and processed food concept of drying food on roof which was believed to be one of the source of food for these sparrows is completely out of sight now. In early days sparrows were living in a symbiotic relationship with humans but now people want them to be caged for their pleasure merely. Nest in the cavities of their houses are considered to be ugly.

Life is the race of survival for all beings so is for house sparrows fear of large amount of predators, unclean water, rising temperature using as a food in various parts of country are some other factors contributing in their decline. Furthermore it is believed mobile phones release some electromagnetic waves which are effecting their population badly.

Plastic pollution is also the major cause and not only effecting house sparrows but other birds, animals as well micro plastic fibers which become the part of our environment through different activities release toxins birds, animals are unable to digest it and eventually die. There are also some genetic variations under study which can also be considered as a cause.

It is about time to make some efforts to conserve this beautiful creature for maintaining balance in our ecosystem, for maintaining balance in food web, for maintaining balance in predator prey relationship. We have to take steps on government level as well as on personal level for its conservation. Place water pots in your house where they are accessible to sparrows, in your areas, try not to dispose food grains and leftover food in bin rather install some food boxes and put these leftover in these boxes check them weekly. Try not to disturb their habitat, make some place in your house for their nest. Limit the Use of pesticides and insecticides.

Government should conduct awareness campaigns to aware lay man about their importance and how to conserve them. They can also put ban on using sparrows as a food and can fine people on selling them so they can live freely.