scholarly journals Protective Nest Design for Indian House Sparrow (Passer domesticus L.) - with Reference to Predation and Reuse

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veera Mahesh ◽  
Suseela Lanka
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Bird Population ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
Nest Design

Background: The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus L.), is a human-commensal bird species, belonging to the order Passeriformes. The rapid changes in our lifestyle resulted in the decrease of this bird population during the past four decades. Among the various causes viz., lack of food resources, pollution pressure, indiscriminate usage of pesticides etc. Habitat loss is found to be one of the main threats for their rapid decline. Installation of artificial nest boxes was found to be the best alternatives for raising the bird population. Methods: Jangareddigudem of West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India, was chosen as the study area. The nest boxes were designed by incorporating certain modifications to the basic model specified by British Trust of Ornithology. Installation of the nest boxes was initiated from an area with moderate food resources, located towards south-west edge of the town and was expanded in to other areas in a latitudinal wise towards north and south directions. Data was collected on a regular basis to study the occupancy of the nest boxes by the house sparrows. Result: The model designed was proved to be protective from predators and also well accepted by the public. Out of 570 nests that were installed in the study area, 550 nests were occupied and being used for breeding, that comes to around 97.6% occupancy indicating the suitability and protectiveness of this model. The sparrow population in the study area has been increased with a count of sparrows from few to 300+ sparrows at each roosting site (two roosting sites) by the end of 2020 by utilizing the nest boxes.

scholarly journals Electromagnetic Pollution as a Possible Explanation for the Decline of House Sparrows in Interaction with Other Factors

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-337
Author(s):  
Alfonso Balmori
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Thermal Effects ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Electromagnetic Pollution ◽  
The Impact

In recent decades, there has been a decline of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), mainly in European cities, and several hypotheses have been proposed that attempt to determine the causes of this rapid decline. Previous studies indicated that house sparrows were significantly negatively associated with increasing electromagnetic radiation and sparrows disappeared from areas most polluted. In addition, there are many studies on the impact of radiation on other bird and non-bird species, as well as numerous laboratory studies that demonstrated detrimental effects at electric field strength levels that can be found in cities today. Electromagnetic radiation is the most plausible factor for multiple reasons, including that this is the only one that affects the other hypotheses proposed so far. It is a type of pollution that affects productivity, fertility, decreases insects (chicken feed), causes loss of habitat, decreases immunity and can promote disease. Additionally, the recent sparrow decline matches the deployment of mobile telephony networks. Further, there are known mechanisms of action for non-thermal effects of electromagnetic radiation that may affect sparrows causing their decline. Thus, electromagnetic radiation must be seriously considered as a factor for house sparrows’ decline, probably in synergy with the other factors previously proposed.

Nestling Of House Sparrow Passer Domesticus In Nest Boxes In Zielona Góra Preliminary Report

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-26
Author(s):  
Damian Markulak
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Report ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Nesting Sites

Abstract The population of House Sparrows in most of European cities declined in the end of the XX century (De Laet & Summers-Smith 2007). One of the presumable reasons of this decline is loss of nest sites. The House sparrow is a secondary hole-nester (Anderson 2006) and places its nest in holes of buildings, shrubs and nest boxes. The rate of nest box occupation depends on the location and competition with other species (Anderson T.R. 2006). The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of nest box occupation by House sparrows in Zielona Góra, Western Poland, which can provide information about the availability of nesting sites.

scholarly journals Status survey and conservation of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus (Aves: Passeriformes: Passeridae) through public participation in Kannur, Kerala, India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 12098
Author(s):  
R. Roshnath ◽  
C. P. Arjun ◽  
J. Ashli ◽  
D. Sethu ◽  
P. Gokul
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Forest Department ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
The World ◽  
Status Survey

House Sparrows Passer domesticus are one of the most widespread passerines in the world.  A survey was conducted to find out their status in Kannur District, Kerala.  The survey recorded 553 sparrows in 35 sites in the district.  The perspectives of the public were recorded through a questionnaire survey and conservational inputs from the public were noted.  Most of the respondents (47%) suggested the provision of nest boxes for the enhanced breeding of sparrows.  Thus, our NGO along with the support of students, the public and the Kerala Forest Department, placed 100 nest boxes in various identified sparrow dwelling places in the district and it was found effective in the conservation of sparrows. 

Three hundred years of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) persecution in Germany

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SEITZ
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
World War ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Second World

Modernization of agriculture, economic development and population increase after the end of the Thirty Years' War caused authorities in many parts of Germany to decree the eradication of so-called pest animals, including the House Sparrow. Farmers were given targets, and had to deliver the heads of sparrows in proportion to the size of their farms or pay fines. At the end of the eighteenth century German ornithologists argued against the eradication of the sparrows. During the mid-nineteenth century, C. L. Gloger, the pioneer of bird protection in Germany, emphasized the value of the House Sparrow in controlling insect plagues. Many decrees were abolished because either they had not been obeyed, or had resulted in people protecting sparrows so that they always had enough for their “deliveries”. Surprisingly, various ornithologists, including Ernst Hartert and the most famous German bird conservationist Freiherr Berlepsch, joined in the war against sparrows at the beginning of the twentieth century, because sparrows were regarded as competitors of more useful bird species. After the Second World War, sparrows were poisoned in large numbers. Persecution of sparrows ended in Germany in the 1970s. The long period of persecution had a significant but not long-lasting impact on House Sparrow populations, and therefore cannot be regarded as a factor in the recent decline of this species in urban and rural areas of western and central Europe.

Glucose and amino acid absorption in house sparrow intestine and its dietary modulation

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. R561-R568 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Caviedes-Vidal ◽  
W. H. Karasov
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Glucose Absorption ◽  
Uptake Capacity ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
High Lipid ◽  
In Vivo Absorption ◽  
High Starch

We acclimated house sparrows (Passer domesticus; 26 g) to high-starch (HS), high-protein (HP), and high-lipid (HL) diets and tested the predictions that uptake of D-glucose and amino acids will be increased with increased levels of dietary carbohydrate and protein, respectively. HS birds had lower mediated D-glucose uptake rate than HP birds. Total uptake of L-leucine at low concentration (0.01 mM), but not of L-proline at 50mM, was increased by dietary protein. Measures of D-glucose maximal mediated uptake (1.2 +/- 0.2 nmol.min-1.mg-1) and intestinal mass (1 g) indicated that the intestine's mediated uptake capacity was only approximately 10% of the D-glucose absorbed at the whole animal level. This implied that nonmediated glucose absorption predominated. We applied a pharmacokinetic technique to measure in vivo absorption of L-glucose, the stereoisomer that does not interact with the Na(+)-glucose cotransporter. At least 75% of L-glucose that was ingested was apparently absorbed. This adds to the increasing evidence that substantial passive glucose absorption occurs in birds and may explain why mediated D-glucose uptake does not increase on high-carbohydrate diets.

scholarly journals Badge Size and Extra-Pair Fertilizations in the House Sparrow

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Whitekiller ◽  
David F. Westneat ◽  
P. L. Schwagmeyer ◽  
Douglas W. Mock
Keyword(s):  
Dna Fingerprinting ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Genetic Benefits ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Badge Size

Abstract For House Sparrows, Passer domesticus, it has been proposed that the size of a male's throat badge correlates with his success in avoiding cuckoldry as well as obtaining extra-pair copulations (EPCs), and that females gain indirect (genetic) benefits from EPCs with large-badged males. Alternatively, female House Sparrows may engage in EPCs as a guard against their social mate's infertility. We used multi-locus DNA fingerprinting to examine paternity and found that among 41 broods and 136 offspring, 20% of the offspring were attributable to extra-pair fertilizations (EPFs). Forty-one percent of the 34 males were cuckolded; however, large-badged males were as likely to be cuckolded as small-badged males. Moreover, we found no evidence that large-badged males were inherently superior to small-badged males in terms of survivorship. We compared the prevalence of unhatched eggs in broods with and without extra-pair offspring to determine whether EPFs are associated with hatching failure. Although we detected no association between hatch failure and EPFs, enhanced fertility remains a plausible EPC benefit to females, but experimental approaches may be required to evaluate its significance.

Production Of Melanin-Based Plumage Traits In Male House Sparrows: No Effect Of Dietary Copper

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15
Author(s):  
Ian R.K. Stewart ◽  
David F. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Enzymatic Oxidation ◽  
Copper Level ◽  
Melanin Production ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Dietary Copper ◽  
Male House ◽  
Recommended Level

Abstract In many bird species, males possess conspicuous patches of black feathers on their head or breast, the size of which is often positively related to their success in intra- and intersexual interactions. The production of these plumage signals is presumed to depend upon one or more limiting factors which prevent low quality males developing large signals in order to gain the associated benefits. The coloration of these feathers is due to their infusion with the pigment melanin, which birds synthesize endogenously during a series of conversion steps beginning with the enzymatic oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine. Copper is the cofactor of the enzyme responsible for this process, and it is possible that copper level limits the activity of the enzyme and therefore limits melanin production. We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the level of dietary copper available to individually caged juvenile and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) throughout their moult. Birds were provided with artificial diets containing either 100%, 50% or 10% of the recommended level of copper. Dietary copper did not affect the size of the black breast patch, the most obvious melanin-based plumage trait in this species, nor did it affect the reflectance of the black feathers. In sum, we reject the hypothesis that dietary copper limits the size or blackness of the breast patch of the male house sparrow.

Experimental analysis of novelty responses in a bird assemblage inhabiting a suburban marsh

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 974-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.I. Echeverría ◽  
Aldo Iván Vassallo ◽  
J.P. Isacch
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Molothrus Bonariensis ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Bird Assemblage

Suburban areas in the Pampas region of Argentina are inhabited by several bird species that sharply differ in their ability to exploit human-modified, urban areas. This bird assemblage includes species restricted to natural grasslands (e.g., Great Pampa Finch, Embernagra platensis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)) as well as generalist, highly cosmopolitan species such as House Sparrow, Passer domesticus (L., 1758). We explored the role of certain aversive responses to novelty in shaping the marked differences in ecological plasticity among species in the assemblage. In field experiments, we tested for differences in feeding in the presence of artificial objects near feeders regularly replenished with seeds. In spite of their granivorous diet, some non-urbanized species did not use the feeders, possibly because of an extreme degree of aversion to novel situations. The group of birds that visited the feeders included both urbanized (N = 8) and non-urbanized (N = 2) species. We found that the presence of novel objects discouraged visitation to an otherwise attractive food source, although neophobia was weak for most species. However, we found unexpectedly high levels of neophobia in highly generalist, urbanized species such as House Sparrow and Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789). This response is discussed in the context of the influence of post-fledging development in a relatively simple and predictable ecosystem versus that in urban areas.

scholarly journals Hard to fly the nest: A study of body condition and plumage quality in house sparrow fledglings

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlène Leloutre ◽  
Alice Gouzerh ◽  
Frédéric Angelier
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Probability Current ◽  
State Body

Abstract Contrary to the nestling phase, the post-fledging phase has been less studied probably because it is challenging to follow the chicks after they fledge. However, this phase is crucial to consider when focusing on the life cycle of individuals because it is associated with new demands: After leaving the nest, individuals have to find their own food and cope with a new set of previously unknown stressors. In this study, we aimed at better understanding how energetically demanding the post-fledging period is in house sparrows Passer domesticus by measuring several indices of a fledgling’s state (body condition, fat and muscle scores and plumage quality). If the energetic demands of the post-fledging period are greater than those of the adult life, we predicted that fledglings should be in lower condition and should have a plumage of lower quality relative to adults. Supporting this prediction, the condition and the plumage of fledglings differed dramatically from those of adults. Interestingly, this difference disappeared in autumn. Overall, our results suggest that the post-fledging period is probably one of the most energetically demanding of the life cycle in this species. Supporting this idea, the resighting probability of fledglings was lower relative to adults. However, resighting probability depends on many factors (mortality, dispersal, habitat use and behaviours) and future studies are necessary to tease apart their relative importance in determining resighting probability [Current Zoology 60 (4): 449–459, 2014].

scholarly journals Effectiveness of using nest boxes as a form of bird protection after building modernization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Dulisz ◽  
Anna Maria Stawicka ◽  
Paweł Knozowski ◽  
Tom A. Diserens ◽  
Jacek J. Nowakowski
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
First Year ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Urban Buildings ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Ca 50 ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
Species Preferences

AbstractModernization of urban buildings can decrease the availability of nesting sites in buildings, leading to sudden decreases in the density of avifauna. In this study, we investigated the use of nest boxes as a bird conservation measure after buildings were thermally modernized. In a 10 ha experimental area we mounted five types of nest boxes of different sizes and dimensions (a total of 132). Nest boxes were dedicated to species that lost access to their previous nesting sites. All species associated with the buildings significantly declined or disappeared. In the first year after the modernization, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) decreased by 66% compared with the period before the modernization, Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) by 68%, Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) by 70%, and Common Swift (Apus apus) by 100%. In the first two years after the modernization, the birds nested only in nest boxes. Five years of monitoring showed that using nest boxes as compensation for bird nesting sites lost during the renovation of buildings can cause a population to recover to ca. 50% of its original level. To optimize deployments of nest boxes, wildlife managers should consider target species’ preferences for the dimensions and placement of boxes and limit the time boxes are used if a species prefers nesting outside nest-boxes, but in buildings (e. g. the House Sparrow) and does not require additional support.

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