Roosting patterns of House Sparrow Passer domesticus Linn., 1758 (Aves: Passeridae) in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India
Main Article Content
Abstract
The House Sparrow Passer domesticus is widely distributed across the world, and local alarming declines in sparrow populations have prompted studies focused on this species. An understanding of fundamental life history aspects such as roosting patterns is necessary for the development of efficient conservation strategies. This study examined House Sparrow roosting patterns in urban, suburban and rural areas of Bhavnagar during 2017–2018. Potential roosting sites were identified, and peak arrival/ departure times and roosting duration of sparrows were recorded. We found that peak arrival and departure times were correlated with solar timings, indicating a strong influence of photoperiod on sparrow behaviour. Little variation was observed in sparrow arrival and departure times across the urban, suburban and rural gradient. However, arrival duration was significantly larger in urban and suburban areas. This may be due to the restricted availability of suitable patches within these habitats, requiring birds to spend more time foraging. House Sparrows mostly preferred thick vegetation for pre-roosting activities and roosting, and the loss of thick vegetation poses a threat to sparrow populations worldwide. In addition to increasing nesting opportunities by providing artificial nest sites, the importance of retaining appropriate habitats should be a major focus of conservation strategies.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Alonso, J.C. (1986). Ecological segregation between sympatric Spanish Sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis Temm.) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus [L.]) during winter. Ekologia Polska 34: 63–73.
Anderson, T. (2006). Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow: From Genes to Populations. Oxford University Press, New York. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304114.001.0001
Beauchamp, G. (1999). The evolution of communal roosting in birds: origin and secondary losses. Behavioral Ecology 10(6): 675–687. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/10.6.675
Blanco, G. & J.L. Tella (1999). Temporal, spatial and social segregation of red-billed choughs between two types of communal roost: a role for mating and territory acquisition. Animal Behaviour 57 (6): 1219–1227. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1103.PMID10373254.S2CID7254376
Borchelt, P.L. (1972). Dust bathing in Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus): A regulatory model. PhD Thesis, Michigan State University.
Daanje, A. (1941). Uber der Verhalten des Haussperlings (Passer d. domesticus [L.]). Ardea 50: 1–42.
Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin & D. Wheye (1988). Communal roosting. Accessed on 10/02/2019. https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Communal_Roosting.html
Eiserer, L.A. (1984). Communal roosting in birds. Bird Behavior 5(2–3): 61–80.
Erwin, R.M. (1983). Feeding habitats of nesting wading birds: spatial use and social influences. Auk 100: 960–970.
Gokula, V., S. Palanivel & B. Sivagamy (2014) Nesting ecology of house sparrow Passer domesticus (Linnaeus 1758) in Punavasipatty and Kuthoor, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Scientific Transactions in Environment and Technovation 7(4): 193–200
Gorska, E. (1975). The investigations on the common roostings of the sparrow, Passer domesticus (L.) and starling, Sturnus vulgaris L. in Poznan in winters 1970/71 and 1971/72. Przeglad Zoologiczny 19: 230–238.
Gulati, V. (2005). House Sparrow on Verge of Extinction, Tribune News Service, Chandigarh. Accessed on 30.ix.2013.
Mahabal, A. & D.B. Bastawade (1985). Population ecology and communal roosting behaviour of pariah kite Milvus migrans govinda in Pune (Maharashtra). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 82: 337–346.
North, C.A. (1968). A study of house sparrow populations and their movements in the vicinity of Stillwater, Oklahoma. PhD Thesis. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
Rana, B.D. (1989). Population ecology of Passer domesticus in the Indian arid zone. International Studies on Sparrows 16: 1–7.
Richner, H. & P. Heeb (1996). Communal life: Honest signaling and the recruitment center hypothesis. Behavioral Ecology 7(1): 115–118. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/7.1.115
Simmons, K.E.L. (1964). Feather maintenance, pp. 101–105. In: Campbell B. & E. Lack (eds.). A New Dictionary of Birds. Buteo Books, Vermillion, South Dakota.
Summers-Smith, J.D. (1988). The Sparrows. T. & A.D. Poyser, Calton, UK.
Ward, P. & A. Zahavi (1973). The important of certain assemblages of birds as “Information Centers” for food- feeding. Ibis 115: 517–534.
Ydenberg, R.C. & H.H.T. Prins (1984). Why do birds roost communally in winter? Pp. 123–139. In: Evans, P.R., J.D.G. Custard & W.G. Hale (eds.). Coastal Waders and Wildfowl in Winter. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.