18th April 2015

Return of the Sparrow

A study conducted by Balaji, a research scholar at Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi, concluded that sparrows prefer artificial nests more. “Sparrow is a bird that lives around human habitations. They are dependent on human practices. They don’t build a nest on trees like other birds. They choose safe secure corners, lofts and boxes,” says Balaji. A sparrow’s diet includes dry seeds or millets and grains like rice or wheat. “Earlier, the women used to dry grains on the terrace and draw maakolam (kolam with rice flour) on the doorsteps and the sparrows found their food there.”