Worried over decrease in count of sparrows, city birders to take up survey

According to the birders, they are embarking on such four-month long Citizens Initiative Project, which aimed at creating a ‘Sparrow Atlas’ for Greater Chennai and conserving the sparrow habitats. The formal launch of the project is on March 25. 

G Vijayakumar, secretary of Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS) told DT Next, “The house sparrows that were once found in large numbers, nesting in residences and shops in every part of the city. However, due to growing urbanisation, such birds have migrated to various places.” He expressed concerns that while there were still some scanty populations, most birds have completely vanished from certain parts of the city. 

With the help of the citizens of Chennai, creating a Sparrow Atlas for GCC and continuing to engage with the participating citizens for conserving the house sparrows and their habitats are the objectives of the sparrow census organised by the society, a 40-year old Chennai-based nature conservation body. 

“Since the survey will last for four months, we will rope in other like-minded organisations and active volunteers to document the sparrows,” said another official. 

K Dinesh, a city-based volunteer, who usually joins the organisation to undertake sparrow survey, said, “Our earlier study showed that there was a decline in the house sparrow populations both in city and suburban areas. The environmental factors behind the decline have not been identified so far. Moreover, baseline information on the historical distribution of house sparrows in the city is limited.” They will also create awareness among the public during the survey, he added.