Save the sparrows!

We all have grown up to sounds of sparrows chirping outside our windows or whenever outdoors. If there were trees around the house, evenings used to be a cacophony of sparrows chirping – almost as though wishing each other good night and exchanging gossips of the day!

Today, even though there are some trees, the sounds of the birds have disappeared – yes, the crow’s cawing has grown manifold. Pigeons cooing too but sparrows?

But it looks as though this sparrow has been sacrificed at the altar of rapid urbanization. Their numbers are declining in alarming numbers the world over, especially in urban areas and certain rural regions where pesticide use is high.

Saving sparrows has become a matter of urgency as the birds have been recognised as an indicator of environmental health and urban biodiversity. World Sparrow Day is marked on March 20 and a number of measures to increase their numbers are encouraged on this day. Environmentalists say that we too can do our bit - conservation can start with something as simple as buying a nest online, hanging a bird feeder in your windows, and offering the birds a safe space.

Yes, lets save these sparrows before they become extinct!