Just a Sparrow...

Just a Sparrow...

By Dr Shreya Bhanap

A very common bird which can be identified by almost every human being should be sparrow. This common small bird has it's origin in Europe and parts of North America. Though found through out India, sparrows mainly settled near human habitat. Sparrow is a adaptive bird, mainly omnivorous has ability to survive without water by earing berries. Sparrows are small sized birds but still they play a significant ecological role.

They help to disperse seeds by consuming fruits and then depositing the seeds in new locations which in turn become a cause for plant propagation. Sparrows feed on insects, helping to regulate their populations and preventing damage to crops and gardens. This is nothing but the bio pest control and reduce the need of chemical fertilizers.

Sparrows build nests, which can provide habitat for other animals, like insects, reptiles, or small mammals.

Sparrows serve as a food source for various predators, such as birds of prey, mammals, and reptiles thus they support complex food chains and webs, maintaining ecosystem balance. Sparrows also act as indicator species, helping to monitor environmental health and detecting changes in ecosystems.

Sparrows occupy a distinct ecological niche, filling a specific role in ecosystems and maintaining balance. Ecologically such an important species is in danger due to human impact on environment. Loss of habitat, changes in agriculture pattern, modern architecture unsustainable development, pollution have shown a concerning decline in recent decades. But this needs to repair as soon as it has an adverse effects on ecosystems. We need to plant trees and shrubs that provide food and shelter for sparrows. Organizing awareness campaign to educate people about the importance of sparrow conservation will also help.

On this Sparrow day one should take pledge to reduce their impact on environment by changing their lifestyle and supporting sustainable development only. So that species like sparrow can thrive naturally.

Lucky to have biodiversity on earth but think there is Ek Hi Earth.