The House sparrow is one of the few birds that can be identified without a field guide. It builds its nest and lives in our houses. Man and the house sparrow have been living together for centuries. If the house sparrow were to be called a nuisance, it is man who has to take the blame, for it was man who played a key role in spreading the bird all over the world.
Andrew Erkenbrecher, a wealthy German who migrated to USA was interested in importing several European bird species into the country. Starlings, Corncrakes, Song thrushes, Gold finches, Nightingales and sparrows were brought from Europe. They were made to adjust to local conditions (acclimation) in an old mansion and were released. The sparrows were the most successful birds to spread over. Their populations became so large that by 1887, some states in USA had to resort to control programs.
The Royal Society for the protection of birds conducted a survey recently. More than 85000 children participated and the most common bird that was seen was none other than house sparrow.
Sparrows feed on grains, seeds and insects. While biting to open a seed the sparrow moves its lower jaw (mandible) back and forth. The seed gets partially opened. Next, the sparrow moves the mandible sideways to remove the husk and separate the seed. A sparrow weighing 30 grams or 1 ounce eats 135 seeds a day to survive. The food is almost half the bird’s weight. If a man, say of 150 pounds ate like a sparrow, he would need 75 pounds of food a day.
In China the sparrows were a menace to grain crops. In the year 1958, Chairman Mao sent hundreds of peasants to the fields to pelt stones. The idea was to scare away the sparrows. It worked. Thousands of sparrows died of starvation. The grain harvest was increased. But the succeeding year, locusts invaded the crops and China experienced severe famine. Had the sparrows been spared, they would have controlled the insect pest.
The house sparrow is one of the thirty odd birds that will nest in manmade birdhouses. It is the only bird that builds nests inside human dwellings. Of the 90 percent of birds that practice monogamy, the house sparrow is prominent in exhibiting a strong tie between the pair. The male and the female build a nest raise the brood and feed the young hatchlings even during nights if the place is well lit. Sparrow hatchlings are blind, naked and helpless. They need parental care until they grow feathers and wings. The parent sparrows take turns in protecting and feeding the offspring even after the young ones leave the nest.
Ornithologists (those who study birds) have distinguished ten different vocalizations, each with its own meaning in the domestic chicken. The house
Sparrow has eleven separate calls! |
