Study on sparrows urgently required say experts
Mumbai (PTI): Voicing concern over the depleting population of sparrows, experts have suggested a census of the bird to prevent its chirping from being lost forever.
"We have sent a project to the Ministry of Environment and Forest to conduct a census of sparrows for its approval," Bombay National History Society (BNHS) Envis Centre scientist-in-charge Girish Jethar said.
"There has hardly been any study conducted on sparrows. A study is necessary to ascertain the current state of the bird's population," the ornithologist added.
Being domestic birds, sparrows haven't been able to attract the attention of wildlife activists and other conservationists, founder of Nature India, which champions the cause of sparrows, Dilawar Mohammad said.
"There is total apathy over the issue of dwindling sparrows due to lack of any kind of national data on the bird," he alleged.
Mohammad pointed out that the United Kingdom included the bird in the list of species to be conserved after a survey found that the population of the bird had declined by almost 50 per cent in the country.
The decline in the population of this chirpy bird has been attributed to environmental changes following ecological disturbance, coupled with increase in presence of electro-magnetic radiation and natural habitat destruction