Usage of Nest Materials by House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Along an Urban to Rural Gradient in Coimbatore, India.
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a widely distributed bird species found throughout the world. Being a species which has close association with humans, they chiefly nest on man-made structures. Here we describe the materials used by the house sparrow for making nests along an urban to rural gradient. For the current study, we selected the Coimbatore to Anaikatty road (State Highway-164), a 27 km inter-state highway, which traverses along an urban core to rural outstretch of Coimbatore. Of the 30 nests observed, 15 nests were from the rural, 8 were from the suburban, and 7 were from the urban areas. The nests had two distinct layers, specifically the structural layer and the inner lining. In the current study, we identified 11 plant species, 2 types of animal matter, and 6 types of anthropogenic matter, including plastic pieces and fine rope. The amount of anthropogenic materials in the nest formation varied along the gradients. The usage of anthropogenic materials was high in urban areas (p<0.05) whereas it did not differ at the sub-urban regions (p>0.05). A gradual decrease in the usage of plant matter towards the urban area was noticed (p<0.05). This study explicitly documents the links between nest material usage along an urban to rural gradient, in a human associated bird.
Centre for Conservation Ecology and Department of Zoology, Muslim Educational Society (MES) Mampad College, Kerala 676 542, India; Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 108, India; Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust, Anupallavi, Kerala 679 334, India.
Dhanya
D
Radhamany
Centre for Conservation Ecology and Department of Zoology, Muslim Educational Society (MES) Mampad College, Kerala 676 542, India; Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust, Anupallavi, Kerala 679 334, India; Sichuan Institute Key Laboratory for Protecting Endangered Birds in the Southwest Mountains, College of Life Sciences, Leshan Normal University, Leshan 61004, Peoples Republic of China.
Karumampoyil Sakthidas Anoop
KS
Das
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 108, India.
Parappurath Abdul
PA
Azeez
Sichuan Institute Key Laboratory for Protecting Endangered Birds in the Southwest Mountains, College of Life Sciences, Leshan Normal University, Leshan 61004, Peoples Republic of China.
Longying
L
Wen
Centre for Conservation Ecology and Department of Zoology, Muslim Educational Society (MES) Mampad College, Kerala 676 542, India.
Leelambika Krishnan
LK
Sreekala
House Sparrow; Nest Material; Urban to Rural Gradient
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