Are we Killing House Sparrows?🐣

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When was the last time you saw a sparrow?

Simple Question, Right?

But the answer is much more surprising and complicated than you think.

This question really got to me when I heard it last night.

When I was asked this question, I couldn’t answer it and went completely blank. And I remember a time when I used to see birds frequently. Hell, Daily!!! The constant chirping and whooshing sound of their wings as they passed me.

At first, I thought I must have ignored their existence subconsciously as I was too engrossed in my phone and stuff. But then I went ahead and Googled it. And I discovered I wasn’t the only one concerned with this.

And as I dug deeper, the stuff I found was Intense!!!

According to a study conducted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, from the year 1966 to the year 2019, there has been a decline in the number of house sparrows by 3% each year. Which translates to a cumulative total of 80%.

The Major Reasons for this decline I found are,

Scarcity of Food

Photo by Dark Light2021 on Unsplash

Although House Sparrows can feed themselves on seeds, grains, weeds, etc. As House Sparrows are omnivorous in nature, a significant portion of their consumption consists of insects, pests, and other natural food. Using too many insecticides and pesticides on our crops has caused a decrease in the number of insects and pests which are the primary sources of food for the birds.

Lack of Habitat

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Urbanization is a leading cause of Natural Habitat loss for not only birds but animals also.

In the year 2023, approximately 28.3 million hectares of tree cover were lost worldwide, marking a 23.8% increase from the previous year.

Since 1990, over 420 million hectares of forests have been lost.

Because of urbanization, the lack of natural habitat for birds is on the rise. Because of this shift, it’s becoming harder for them to find suitable places for them to build nests, lay their eggs, and take care of their children till they are able to fly. We are cutting down not only trees but forests. So that is a huge factor which is responsible for the decline.

Mobile Tower Radiations

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However, there has been no conclusive proof that the radiation emitting from phones and radio towers is harming sparrows. There have been studies showing some adverse effects on birds.

1. A study conducted at the University of Punjab exposed 50 eggs to radiation for 5–30 minutes, and the radiation had a damaging effect on the embryos.
2. There also have been studies that suggest that Electromagnetic Radiations disrupt the magnetic orientation compass used by birds to navigate.
3. One Study in Valladolid, Spain found a negative correlation between the Density of House Sparrows & Electric Field strength from cell phone towers operating in the 1–3 GHz range.

There have been a lot of such studies showing the adverse effects of radiation on birds but the evidence is correlational and not conclusive. We will need more long-term research to conclude that radiations have a direct effect on birds.

Air Pollution

Photo by Janusz Walczak on Unsplash

Air pollution is also a major reason for the decline in the number of house sparrows.

In London, the house sparrow population dropped by 60% between 1994 and 2006, largely due to an increase in air pollution from diesel vehicles.

Studies indicate that Areas with higher Nitrogen Dioxide levels saw a higher rate of decline in sparrow numbers, suggesting a direct link between air quality and bird health.

It has also been found that Air Pollution significantly affects house sparrow populations through psychological stress, reproductive challenges, and behavioral changes.

Increased Predation on House Sparrows

Photo by Matthew Essman on Unsplash

Because of Urbanization, there has been a lack of Natural Habitat for these birds. This is why they are having to build nests in developed areas which is increasing their exposure to various predatory animals like domestic cats and dogs, birds of prey, raccoons, and many more.

Such Predators are also targeting the nests, and consuming eggs and newborns. This happening at a larger scale means Reduced Reproductive Success and leading to a decline in population.

Conclusion

So if you ask me again, “Are we killing Sparrows?”

Not Directly. But in some way, we are responsible for the said decline and it is our responsibility to take some conservational measures like,

Reducing Pesticide use and Implementing nature-friendly farming practices.

Providing artificial nesting sites and raising awareness about Sparrow conservation.

By leaving Food and Water out for birds to consume.

If you want to know “What form Technology may take in the Future”, read the following article,

https://medium.com/the-unscripted/technology-of-tomorrow-what-will-the-future-look-like-d3bc7435466b

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