Bye Bye, Birdie
It was common to see them early in the morning, their cheerful chirping often waking us up. At other times, we would see them foraging for grains here and there. They seemed a permanent fixture in the landscape. And suddenly one day they seemed to go missing. We are referring of course, to the tiny brown-grey short-tailed powerful-beaked bird, the sparrow.
Primarily seed eaters, sparrows are found throughout Europe, Africa and Asia and have found their way to the Americas, Australia and other parts of the world through settlers who imported some species, which got naturalised over time. There are as many sparrow species as days in a month, with almost all of them preferring open habitats.
Nowadays a lot is spoken about how this species of bird is disappearing. But back then I used to make their acquaintance every other day and in many different places. At school, my attention would be diverted by the little sparrow that alighted on the small tree outside the classroom, spreading and beating its wings. There were times it entered the classroom and all of us broke into smiles. On one occasion during lunch break, we saw among the branches of that tree a green vine snake holding a sparrow in its mouth. The poor bird shook its body and wings in vain as the snake made a meal of it.
At my grandmother’s place, after the paddy harvest sparrows were frequent visitors, the adult leading its young ones into the large storage room filled with paddy. They would peck at the floor to gather food, splitting open the paddy grains with their strong cone-shaped beaks. Young ones would beg food from their parents. When somebody arrived, they flew out of the house through the backyard door. They were fond of mirrors, and would peck at their images for long stretches.
In those days there were no tarred roads and sparrows would forage in parties on the mud road for grains and worms. In the evening we would see several of the sparrows dig a small mud pit and have a dust bath. This helped them get rid of parasites. But this is the time they were vulnerable to attacks from domestic cats, crows and predators like falcons.
Another place where they could be found in large colonies was the old rice mill. Here there was a supply of rice throughout the year and sparrows in the hundreds would forage for broken rice. In a vast space such as this, the sparrows' repeated chirps made for a deafening noise.
Sometimes I watched them building their nests. The birds would bring husk and build a nest on the wooden beam below the roof tiles. After the female laid eggs, it slept in the same nest at night. Both parents took care of the young ones. Sometimes in winter, they slept near the electric bulb for warmth. The young ones sometimes fell the nest, giving us boys an opportunity to hold them. There was a cattle shed and opposite it there was a big sparrow colony. The paddy husk laid on the floor for the cattle provided enough grains for them to feed on, the water tank satisfied their thirst and the wooden poles on the roof tiles gave them a place to roost and breed. Many a time I have seen nesting colonies of sparrows in the crevices of a house.
Sparrows arrived about five years back in my backyard rain pool and have become permanent denizens. Every morning they arrive in synchronous flight and hide in the shrubs under the acacia tree. I offer grains from my balcony window and they feed in silence till the arrival of the bird of prey Shikra causes the group to disperse.
So why are sparrows on the decline in cities? Concrete houses instead of roof tiles makes nesting difficult, sometimes impossible, for them. Scarcity of grains and natural food is another reason. Bird lovers and conservationists are doing their bit by raising sparrows in wooden nest boxes and providing them with food via bird feeders.