Sparrows may get state protection
14 Aug 2012 8:35 AM IST
Concerned at the declining population of little sparrow, which used to be the window bird of every household in the city, the Delhi government may declare it the state bird. According to a government official, the concept of a state bird is meant 'to create awareness about the bird which is part of state's identity but could be under threat for one reason or other'.
Several states in India follow the concept of state birds. The neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has saras crane as the state bird, whereas Haryana's state bird is black francolin. Uttarakhand has named Himalayan Monal as its state bird. 'Since Delhi has no state bird, we are looking forward to naming one, and it could be sparrow,' said a senior Delhi government official.
According to the senior commentator and sparrow enthusiast Kanchan Gupta, 'The sparrow population has gone down due to change in the architectural make-up of the city. The mushrooming of high-rises and decline in the number of water bodies have contributed to their falling population.' He also blamed the rampant use of pesticides in the city gardens for being another cause for the increasing fatality rate of the once popular bird.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the Delhi government will contemplate putting 'common bird monitoring' in the curriculum of schools and other education institutes. Some states have already adopted bird monitoring as part of the school curriculum. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will urge people to monitor sparrows and other common birds on 15 August for 15 minutes.
Several states in India follow the concept of state birds. The neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has saras crane as the state bird, whereas Haryana's state bird is black francolin. Uttarakhand has named Himalayan Monal as its state bird. 'Since Delhi has no state bird, we are looking forward to naming one, and it could be sparrow,' said a senior Delhi government official.
According to the senior commentator and sparrow enthusiast Kanchan Gupta, 'The sparrow population has gone down due to change in the architectural make-up of the city. The mushrooming of high-rises and decline in the number of water bodies have contributed to their falling population.' He also blamed the rampant use of pesticides in the city gardens for being another cause for the increasing fatality rate of the once popular bird.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the Delhi government will contemplate putting 'common bird monitoring' in the curriculum of schools and other education institutes. Some states have already adopted bird monitoring as part of the school curriculum. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will urge people to monitor sparrows and other common birds on 15 August for 15 minutes.
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