Project to assess sparrow population in Guwahati

A project to assess the sparrow's population in the city here has been initiated on the occasion of the World Sparrow Day amidst widely-held beliefs that there has been a decline in the bird's population.
In Guwahati, sparrows are often found nesting on rolling shutters in shops and this is an indication that they could do well if they are provided with nest site alternative in the form of nest box, Environmentalist and bio-diversity organisation Aaranyak's Publicity Secretary Dr Firoz Ahmed said.
Research scholar Anukul Nath will undertake the study under the supervision of Dr Hilloljyoti Singha of Assam University and Aaranyak's Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar to assess the bird's population in Guwahati and put nest boxes to understand the response of the House Sparrow.

The project is supported by Aaranyak's Small Grants for Nature Conservation in Northeast India in association with the Rufford Small Grants Foundation.
The study would also investigate the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the breeding of sparrows.
House sparrows used to be a common sight in India and many other countries till recently.
Among the reasons for the bird's declining number, specially in urban areas are: changing architecture of human habitations, loss of tree cover, excessive use of pesticides, lack of traditional granaries, grocery shops and storehouses that permit gleaning of grains by birds, air pollution and electromagnetic radiation.