When my four-year-old daughter was taking ever so long to finish her plate of rasam saadam, my father-in-law said, “See how fast the sparrows have finished the rice that paati had given!” The little one retorted, “Thatha, there are 12 of them and I am eating all by myself!” This happened 40 years ago when sparrows were abundant around our house in Jamshedpur. Now, in the same house, I rarely see the bird.
House sparrow, Passer domesticus (Latin passer means ‘small active bird’ and domesticus indicates ‘belonging to the house’), has been living near human dwellings for more than 10,000 years. Originating in West Asia, the bird has followed the pattern of human migration and spread all over the world. Life in the villages provided an unlimited source of seeds, grains, and insects. There were many cosy spaces to build nests in: under the roof, on the ventilator openings in walls, and on unused ceiling fans. Sparrows would breed throughout the year and ran the risk of being consumed as chittu kuruvi lehiyam for fertility!
With sparrows around there was no need for insecticides, and the farmers did not mind them pecking at a small fraction of the grains. The sparrow population was kept in check by their natural predators – owls and kites.
