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Finding Clues in Cities: Nest Site Selection by House Sparrows Across a Varied Habitat Matrixin Delhi, India


Affiliations
1 Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida 201 301, India
2 Department of Zoology, Mukand Lal National College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana 135 001, India
 

With changing urbanization pattern and architectural style, the house sparrow is rapidly losing its nesting ground leading to a drastic decline in its population. We studied the sparrow nest site selection to make recommendations to the Forest Department and NGOs in the conservation of sparrows in Delhi, India. Active nests were located across the habitat matrix in East Delhi. The maximum number of nests was found in suburban and high-density urban areas. The most preferred place for nesting was rolling shutters and wall crevices. The presence of old buildings, vegeta-tion patch, water source, grocery shops, food provi-sioning, open drains and open dumps influence the sparrow nest selection site. By conserving natural habitat and installing nest boxes at suitable places, the sparrows can be conserved.

Keywords

Habitat Matrix, House Sparrow, Nest Site Selection, Urban Birds.
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  • Finding Clues in Cities: Nest Site Selection by House Sparrows Across a Varied Habitat Matrixin Delhi, India

Abstract Views: 322  |  PDF Views: 132

Authors

Shikha Choudhary
Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida 201 301, India
N. P. S. Chauhan
Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida 201 301, India
Rajiv Kalsi
Department of Zoology, Mukand Lal National College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana 135 001, India

Abstract


With changing urbanization pattern and architectural style, the house sparrow is rapidly losing its nesting ground leading to a drastic decline in its population. We studied the sparrow nest site selection to make recommendations to the Forest Department and NGOs in the conservation of sparrows in Delhi, India. Active nests were located across the habitat matrix in East Delhi. The maximum number of nests was found in suburban and high-density urban areas. The most preferred place for nesting was rolling shutters and wall crevices. The presence of old buildings, vegeta-tion patch, water source, grocery shops, food provi-sioning, open drains and open dumps influence the sparrow nest selection site. By conserving natural habitat and installing nest boxes at suitable places, the sparrows can be conserved.

Keywords


Habitat Matrix, House Sparrow, Nest Site Selection, Urban Birds.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv118%2Fi8%2F1304-1309