Distribution of House Sparrows, Passer domesticus indicus, in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The Indian house sparrow, Passer domesticus indicus, is a small bird that is common in India, found in close contact with humans, instead of forests. Over recent years, according to the study, the house sparrow population has been on the decline in many Asian countries, which is quite evident in India. To understand the reason for their decline a study was conducted in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, during 2007–2008. The population of the house sparrows was counted at five sampling sites: agricultural area, marketplace, bus stand, residential area, and industrial area. The industrial area showed a decline in the population compared to other areas. The study was conducted again after 12 years at the same sampling site during the pandemic. It was observed an increase of 128% in the agricultural area, 233% in the marketplace, 369% in the bus stand area, 131% in the residential area, and 214% in the industrial area. It was interesting to notice a pronounced increase in all the study sites, which is slightly deviating from the other studies that reported their decline. The increase in numbers may be due to the fewer working men and less usage of the equipment during the pandemic.