DECLINE OF HOUSE SPARROW AND COMMON MYNA POPULATION IN DODA REGION OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA

Abstract

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), once very common birds, have declined markedly in most parts of the India including Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. Once these birds were distributed widely in Doda district but over the past few years, they became not so common in this region. A study has been conducted during April 2016 to April 2020 to establish the database for their current population and to assess the possible causes of their decline in Doda district. The house sparrow is a symbiotic bird species highly adaptable with human habitation. House construction due to modern trend has resulted in reduced safe nesting for sparrows and mynas. Green spaces in our cities give way to more concrete construction due to which the house sparrow and myna loses its foraging ground. There is a dire need of ecological balancing to save the Sparrows and Mynas from getting extinct.