A Report on STUDY ON COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SPARROW

Abstract

The study on common characteristics of sparrow was conducted during the period of 05.05.2013 to 31.12.2013.This study was conducted to analyze the common characteristics of sparrows. The sparrow is under the family Passeridae, which consist of 5 genera. Among these genera Passer is known as the genus of true sparrow, which has about 25 species. The aim of the study was to know variety of sparrows, health status and behavioral and reproductive characteristics of the sparrows .The method of this study includes phenotypic observation of sparrow through photography, collection of information from internet, interview in local peoples. Sparrows are not so loved by common people. The sparrows are indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. Sparrows prefer areas that have been modified by humans, including farms, residential areas, and urban areas. They are absent from uninhabited woodlands, deserts, forests, and grasslands. Sparrows are generally social birds, with many species breeding in loose colonies and most species occurring in flocks during the non-breeding season. Most sparrows form large roosting aggregations in the non-breeding seasons that contain only a single species. Sites are chosen for cover and include trees, thick bushes and reed beds. The assemblages can be quite large with up to 10,000. Sparrows are a stout, stocky, with shorter legs and a thicker bill. Members of both sexes are brown backed with black streaks throughout this area. Their undersides are pale buff. Males have white cheeks and a black bib, while females do not. The tail is usually three-quarters of the length of the wing. Males are slightly larger than females. Wing length is 76 mm and average mass is 28.5 grams. The normal body temperature ranges between110-111˚F, respiration rate 40-50(breaths/min), heart rate 350-450 per minute. As an adult, the sparrow mostly feeds on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is opportunistic and adaptable and eats whatever foods are available. It can perform complex and unusual tasks to obtain food, such as opening automatic doors to enter supermarkets, clinging to hotel walls to watch vacationers on their balconies and nectar robbing kowhai flowers. In common with many other birds, the sparrow requires grit to digest the hard seeds it eats. Grit can be either stone, often grains of masonry, or the shells of eggs or snails; oblong and rough grains are preferred. The sparrow is monogamous. Males start nest construction and call particularly frequently to attract females. Nests are built between February and May. When a female approaches a male during this period, the male displays by moving up and down while drooping and shivering his wings , pushing up his head, raising and spreading his tail, and showing his bib. Males may try to mate with females while calling or displaying. Copulation is typically initiated by the female giving a soft dee-dee-dee call to the male. Birds of a pair copulate frequently until the female is laying eggs, and the male mounts the female repeatedly each time a pair mates. Females lay four to six eggs that vary in color and shape. Both parents take part in incubating (sitting on and warming) the eggs and taking care of the young. Incubation period is 11-14 days Young are born with down, but feathers develop quickly. The fledgling period is twelve to twenty days. Cats, birds of prey including corvids, squirrels, accipiters , merlin, snakes are the common predators of sparrow. Common sparrrow diseases are salmonellosis, colibacillosis, avian pox, avian malaria and external parasitic infestation. Sparrows are commonest wild bird. As they eat more amount of seeds and cause damage to crops. So, they are considered as agricultural pest. The large number of sparrow around human habitat may cause disturbance, so they also known as nuisance species due to this reason. But, they are also beneficial as they eat harmful insects of crops. Sparrows are commonest wild bird. So, it is assessed as Least Concern for conservation on the IUCN Red List. The European house sparrow population is extremely large with around 63 million breeding pairs. But, the population of sparrow is decreasing in some areas of world due to some reasons such as loss of number of invertebrates, reduction of seed, change in agricultural practice, loss of nest sites, predation, pesticides use etc. To save sparrow, Nature forever society declared 20 march as world sparrow day. The aim of this day is to raise awarness to protect the sparrow.