Although it forages mostly on the ground in open areas, P. In urban areas, garbage constitutes a significant part of the birds diet and the consumption of grains by urban birds is less significant than in rural areas D. Summers-Smith, Reproduction House sparrow Passer domesticus nests are built from dried vegetation, feathers, string and paper. Eggs are laid at any time in the nesting period. One to eight eggs can be present in a clutch, with the possibility of four clutches per nesting season.
Incubation begins after all the eggs have been laid. Both males and females incubate the eggs for short periods of a few minutes each. Incubation lasts for 10 to 14 days. Other: The house sparrows Passer domesticus association with human beings has been in large part responsible for its successful invasion of North America Aguirre and Poss, Despite their small size, house sparrows Passer domesticus are quite aggressive.
House sparrows are known for displacing native species through competition by out-competing them for trophic resources. In rural areas they may evict native birds from their nests. Some species reported as being driven away by P. Early in its invasion of North America, P. Peas, turnips, cabbage and nearly all young vegetables are also attacked, as well as apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, plums, pears, strawberries and raspberries.
Additionally, P. The house sparrow Passer domesticus has been commended for feeding on insect species considered pests, such as moths, cabbage worms, and cotton caterpillars Burleigh , Sprunt and Chamberlain , in Aguirre and Poss, Males of the two species have distinct plumages and can easily be separated. However, female and juvenile P. The adult male P. Louis, Missouri. According to Gough et al. The female Spiza americana dickcissel also has a large bill but it is gray--not yellow--and usually has some yellow in the face and a rusty patch in the wing.
Due to the variable regulations around de registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.
Preventative measures : The Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australia, recently developed a risk assessment model Bomford, which has been endorsed by the National Vertebrate Pests Committee and may be used as the basis for future exotic species import applications.
To assign an exotic species to a threat category, three risk scores are calculated: the risk that 1 an escaped or released individual would harm people, 2 escaped or released individuals would establish a wild free-living population 3 the species would be a pest if a wild population did establish. These three risk scores are then used to assign the exotic species to one of four threat categories: extreme, serious, moderate or low. Passer domesticus has been assigned an Extreme threat catergory for Australia.
These animals should not be allowed to enter, nor be kept in any State or Territory. Special consideration may be given to scientific institutions on a case by case basis. Any species that has not been assessed previously should be considered to be in the Extreme Threat Category and should be treated accordingly, until a risk assessment is conducted. Physical : According to Glacking , there are several ways to control P. One is habitat modification.
Roosting and nesting sites can be reduced by blocking entrances larger than 2cm. Buildings can be designed or altered to eliminate resting places. In some areas, building codes are modified and architectural committees review plans to reduce nesting sites. Food sources can be reduced by removing edible human refuse, protecting small crops with bird netting and practicing clean livestock feeding techniques.
Feed also needs to be covered to protect it from bird droppings. Bird-resistant varieties of plants can be planted. More direct methods of control include shooting, trapping, poisoning and repelling. House sparrows can be shot with air guns and small arms containing BB's and dust shot.
Trap types include funnel, automatic, triggered and mist nets. Trapping is generally difficult, as sparrows quickly learn to avoid traps, nets, etc. Bird glues and Nixalite trademark for "porcupine wire" annoy the sparrows.
They can also be scared away with scarecrows and motorised hawks. Destroying nests can be another method of reducing P. Chemical : The standard poison used is Avitrol trademark for 4-Aminopyridine. House sparrow. A male house sparrow. Characteristics The house sparrow is not only among the most commonly found bird species in urban cities, but also the most loved. It is a small brown-coloured bird, not bigger than a tennis ball, with black streaks on its back.
The male and female are easily distinguishable, not in size but in coloration. The male is dark brown, with a black bib, grey chest and white cheeks, whereas the female is light brown throughout its body, with no black bib, crown or white cheeks. It is a social species, found in groups of eight to 10, chirping and chattering to communicate with each other. True to its love for urban spaces, the house sparrow is known to nest in buildings, finding crevices and holes in walls, or at best, using the bird houses and nest boxes put out by humans in their gardens.
In Bharatpur alone, 18 carcasses of sarus cranes were found within three years The birds had fed on wheat treated with aldrin for protection from termites. Many ring doves also fell victim to the same chemical. Aldrin is now banned by the Indian government. But new chemicals such as chlorpyrifos and endosulfan are being used to check termites. It is not surprising then that the breeding population of the sarus crane has drastically declined.
The house sparrow is another fast disappearing 'common' bird. This avian species can still be spotted at over two-thirds of the world's land surface. But reports are pouring in from all over India and around the world of rapid decline in the populations of these once abundant birds. Human exploration and migration then took the bird to many other parts of the globe, including North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Being a social bird, the sparrow thrived around human beings and where grain was abundant. Despite being derided as 'avian rat' in the late 19th century for damaging cereal and other crops , the sparrow steadily 'colonised' a number of countries. The demise of vast numbers of this spunky bird is all the more shocking since it is a survivor; sparrows have been found breeding high up in the Himalaya and down below in Yorkshire coal mines. Avid bird-watchers from all over India have contacted sacon about the decline in the sparrow population of their locality or city.
Subramanya, a sacon member in the National Wetland Conservation Programme and currently working with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, confirms the decline of sparrows in Bangalore.
He attributes it to the lack of nesting sites in modern concrete buildings, disappearing kitchen gardens and the non-availability of a particular larvae Helicoverpa armigera , associated with the field bean.
The field bean theory is particularly interesting. Formerly, urban households in India used to buy field beans as pods in vegetable markets. When the pod was broken, larvae came out, to be promptly devoured by sparrows. But now that fresh seeds are available in packets, these larvae have disappeared, depriving the sparrow. At the M S University campus in Baroda, house sparrows have been studied extensively since using nest boxes. Bony Pilo of the Zoology department reports that these boxes have been lying vacant for the last few years, marking a definite fall in the campus sparrow population.
Shyam Sunder Rao, head of the All India Coordinated Project on Agricultural Ornithology, reports declining sparrow populations at most of the places where studies have been conducted. Despite the gloomy news from all around, there are still some rays of solace. Sparrows have been thronging the new sacon campus at Anaikatty, Coimbatore.
Today there are about 30 of these birds on the campus. This contrary phenomenon may be due to the campus' environment-friendly buildings designed by renowned architect, Lawrie Baker. The ventilators in these buildings offer cosy nesting sites for sparrows. London's loss The decline of the house sparrow is not restricted to India. London bird-watchers too have been noting its vanishing with concern.
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