Page 54 - English Grammar - IX-X

back childhood memories. Many ornithologists and bird watchers fondly remember
how the house sparrows sparked their interest in birds. Sparrow nests could be found
in practically every house in the neighbourhood, as well as public spaces like bus
stops and train stations, where they lived in colonies and subsisted on cereal grains
and small worms.

(2) The species of sparrows has unfortunately become extinct. Their populations are
dropping across the world, just like those of all other once-abundant plants and animals
that now face an uncertain future. Even in rural regions of coastal Andhra Pradesh,
according to a study done by Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam, the population of
sparrows has decreased by nearly 60%. According to a study undertaken by the British
Trust for Ornithology, the population of house sparrows in the United Kingdom has
decreased by 58 per cent since 1970.

(3) Certainly, there is no single cause for the decline in house sparrow’s numbers.
According to scientists and experts, excessive use of chemical fertilisers and mobile
tower radiation has added to the decline.
(4) Many other ideas have been proposed to explain the house sparrow’s near-global
decline. It’s been suggested that sparrow chicks, who need bug food to survive in
their early days, haven’t been getting enough from their parents. This has resulted in a
huge number of chick deaths, resulting in a progressive reduction in their population.
(5) The urban landscape has also changed drastically over time. Concrete multistorey
buildings with limited greenery have replaced old houses with courtyards in front and
backyards. Sparrows can no longer find the tiny nooks and crannies and holes where
they once built their nests.

(6) Mohammed Dilavar is aptly known as India’s “sparrow guy”, as he has been successful
in turning international attention to the dwindling population of house sparrows. He
started conservation work by conducting awareness drives and encouraging people
to set up bird houses. After a decade of those efforts, he also set up Nature Forever
Society (NFS), an NGO that has been doing commendable work in saving sparrows.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions.

1. How did severe changes in the urban ecosystem in recent times impact the population
of house sparrows?
(a) Increased radiations from electronic house appliances.

(b) Increased use of CNG consuming vehicles.
(c) Increase in mobile tower radiation and extreme use of chemical fertilisers.
(d) Urbanisation is inviting more migratory birds that attack sparrows for food.

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