On World Sparrow Day, a few interesting facts about the bird that was once an alarm clock for everyone

The theme for this year's World Sparrow Day is "I Love Sparrows", to remind people across the world the need to conserve sparrows as well as the urban biodiversity.

The house sparrow was once the most common bird in the world, but in the past few years, this bird has been on the decline over much of its natural range, both in the urban and rural habitats. The decline of the house sparrow is an indicator of the contin 

Male and female sparrows can be easily distinguished by feather coloration. Females possess brown backs with stripes while males possess reddish backs and black bibs. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)

Sparrows are social birds and hence live in groups. Colonies of sparrows are commonly called flocks. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)

Though they are not water birds, sparrows can swim at a very fast pace when they sense danger. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)

Sparrows are not generally considered as territorial creatures, but they are aggressively protective when it come to their nests. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)

Males have the responsibility of building the nests, and during the construction phase, they attempt to attract females. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)

Sparrows live for about 4-5 years in wild. (EPS | Vinay Madapu)