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SIND SPARROW |
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Sind
Sparrow Passer pyrrhonotus |
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Suresh Sharma
May 2005
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Sind
Sparrow Passer pyrrhonotus copyright
Suresh C Sharma; 21st June 2006;
Sonipat |
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Sind
Sparrow Passer pyrrhonotus |
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Sind
Sparrow Passer pyrrhonotus |
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Identification
Male: Superficially
the Sind Sparrow may look like a House Sparrow,
though the former is conspicuously slimmer
and noticeably smaller than the HS. Head
looks remarkably smaller. The male with
his smaller and thin square bib, confined
to chin and throat does not grade into the
scale like pattern on its lower margin;
crown is grey and below it there is a broader
much brighter chestnut brown stripe on the
sides of the head and nape. Further, dull
whitish grey cheeks (not white) are concolorous
with the lower breast. A small blackish
line in the loral area. A indistinct creamy
wingbar and the tertials are handsomely
marked with black centres and pinky buff
margins.
Female: the hen is small version of the
female House Sparrow, though when seen alongside
the latter, her ear coverts are greyer,
less white in tone. The creamy white supercilium
above the eye always looks quite broad and
conspicuous.
Bill is horny brown, which in summer in
the case of male becomes black, is finer
and if familiar with looks different from
the HIS. Juvenile birds are like female
and undergo a complete post juvenile moult
in their first winter.
The SS is non-commensal sparrow, adapted
essentially to the Acacia nilotica groves
alongside canals and waterlogged areas with
tall grasses in the vicinity. (In a canalside
village Chitana in Sonipat district of Haryana,
7 nests were observed on 3 Acacia nilotica
trees when cut paddy straws were left nearby,
but when they were burnt, the birds did
not breed there). Though the bird is subject
to seasonal movements., from March onwards,
the birds get split into smaller parties
of 2 to 6 birds and pairs begin nesting,
sometimes 3 nests in one tree have been
observed, though single nests are also made.
After post breeding, i.e., from October
onwards, the birds start forming groups.
Towards the evening, around the sun set,
usually 6-14 birds can be seen settling
for roosting sites. From December to February,
flocks of birds upto 50 individuals can
be seen clinging at the flowery heads of
S. munja feeding on its seeds. During summer
seasons end March to September end, the
birds may move away from the canal upto
500 meters away in search of suitable breeding
trees but always near some water body.
Voice: Once familiar,
its ‘chirrup; is quite distinct from
HS, decidedly higher pitched., and more
staccato ‘chu-wit chu-wit’.
When the hen is nearby during nesting season
beginning, the male sings ‘chu chu
wit’ repeatedly for several minutes.
Short warbling twitters and occasionally
short whitles have also been heard. During
breeding season, the male is often seen
perched on an upper branch over the nest
calling soft ‘chirrup’ . Field
guides describe its call as reminiscent
of that of a white wagtail, but the author
has not experienced such a call.
During breeding, the bird has never been
seen aggressive, as is the common case with
the House Sparrows. Male, as soon as a female
comes nearby, starts singing excitedly.
Male has also been seen feeding the female,
a few times even on ground, as a pre-mating
behaviour.
Interaction with Spot-bellied Munias: Every
year, the SS has been seen for nesting sharing
a tree with Spot-bellied Munias. On three
occasions, both species nests’ were
almost touching each other.
Interaction with Baya Weaver Birds –
abandoned nests of the weaver have been
seen being used as dormitory as well as
for nesting purpose. During the four years
study, only twice I have seen this kind
of nesting. But always on Acacia nilotica
trees.
Nesting Tree:
the height has always been 3 to 4 meters
from the ground. Tree has been Acacia nilotica.
Even roadside babul trees near the waterlogged
agriculture fields and/or village ponds
and / or in the vicinity of the canals are
frequently used for nesting.
During wintering months, December to February,
the SS frequently mix with feeding parties
of Spanish Sparrows, Indian House Sparrows,
Red Avadavats, Indian Silverbills and weavers.
Ever since the discovery of the Sind
Sparrow in Sonipat in Haryana on 3rd Jan
2001 and its successful breeding there,
the bird has been seen in several parts
of Haryana and north Delhi, covering Sonipat,
Panipat, Jind, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari,
Gurgaon, Fatehabad, Hisar and Sirsa in
Haryana and the suitable habitat in north
Delhi. In 2004, a pair was seen on an
Acacia nilotica tree standing on the bank
of Eastern Yamuna Canal in Baghpat district
of Uttar Pradesh (this is the first sighting
in the state) by the author, near Baraut
town. Baghpat and Sonipat districts are
divided by the river Yamuna.
T.J. Roberts in ‘Birds of Pakistan’
Vol 2 (1992) considered it ‘resident
sedentary sparrow, endemic to the Indus
flood plain and its major tributaries
and it… largely confined to Pakistan
territory. The bird was considered an
uncommon species at the beginning of 20th
century even in Sind.
In India the bird due to spread of extensive
canal irrigation system in Punjab had
spread upto Harike in Punjab and nearby
areas, but always along the canal with
suitable habitat.
The bird has been seen practically all
over Haryana wherever suitable habitat
exists, always on the canals or nearby
jheels or village ponds. It precludes
that the bird must have spread in Haryana
from the irrigation canal system of Punjab
entering parts of Haryana.
Accordinding to Ticehurt (Ibis 1922),
the sparrow species was rather uncommon
at the beginning of the 20th century,
the bird became wide-spread and common
due to the spread of irrigation schemes
and resultant water-logging.
Personal discussions with Manoj Kulshrestha
reveal that the bird has now been sighted
in Rajasthan also.
During Sociable Lapwing Survey in Haryana
and Punjab in January and February 2005,
the Sind Sparrow was sighted frequently
on the Acacia nilotica trees along the
Gaggar river and canals in both states.
The bird was seen in Ambala and Yamunanagar
districts also.
The present status of the bird
is :
Haryana, Punjab, Delhi (from Narela to
Samaipur Badli along Western Yamuna Canal),
Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh (on
28 Oct 04). For Gujarat, the only source
is NN Bapat’s sighting of the bird
at the Khari Nadi, west of Bhuj (Kuctch)
in Gujarat.
Rajasthan – Since the river Ghaggar
flowing through parts of Punjab and Haryana
enters into Rajasthan and a few canal
branches where bird has been seen in Haryana
also enter bordering areas of Rajasthan
and the habitat there is quite suitable
for this bird, the bird is most likely
to be seen there too. Well, the bird has
been sighted in parts of Rajasthan in
2004 (personal discussions with Manoj
Kulshresht and Dr Asad Rahmani).
Acknowledgements:
I am grateful to many birders for their
assistance in writing this paper. Some
of them are Asad Rahmani, Bill Harvey,
Bikram Grewal, Manoj Kulshreshtha, Harkirat
Singh Sangha and Pratap Singh Sangwan
and Kiran Srivastava
References:
Clement, P., A. Harris and J. Davis :
Finches and Sparrows. Christopher Helm.
Harvey, B.and Suresh C. Sharma (2002):
The Initial Colonisation of the Yamuna
Fllod Plains by the Sind Sparrow, JBNHS
99:35-43
Roberts, T.J. : Birds of Pakistan, Oxford
University Press, Karachi
Summers-Smith, J.D. (1988): The Sparrows.
T & AD Poser, Calton
See also the Sparrows
article for more information regarding
Sind Sparrow.
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Sind
Sparrow (Male) Passer pyrrhonotus;
copyright Mike Prince;
February 2003; Harike, Punjab
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Sind
Sparrow (Male) Passer pyrrhonotus;
copyright Mike Prince;
February 2003; Harike, Punjab
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See the House
Sparrow article for some more information
regarding Sind Sparrow.
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June 15, 2001. - Bill Harvey
Only since January 2001 have Sind Sparrows
been recorded in Haryana State, India. Suresh
Sharma has carefully plotted their appearance
in a number of sites in babuls along the
canal systems (it is very much a waterside
bird) just north of Delhi around Sonepat.
In March he found a pair at Bhindawas but
inspite of searches by both of us they were
not relocated. On 13 May I joined Suresh
in Sonepat and found a pair with a nest
at one of his sites. Unfortunately that
nest was destroyed and since then there
have been very few sightings in Suresh's
winter sites. Today I found a thriving breeding
colony at Bhindawas reserve, 80 kms south
west of Delhi and some distance from the
original sites. This marks the first substantive
(ie breeding resident) establishment of
this endaangered species in the Yamuna floodplain.
It was previously only recorded from the
lower Indus in Pakistan and associated wetlands
(eg Harike). I picked up a singing male
in the babuls along the bund quite near
the eastern end on the evening of 14 June
2001. I had good views but saw only one
bird. Resolving to get back at 0530 am (I
was staying in the rest house) I did so.
On the way I heard at least 2 males in full
song in the babuls on the island where herons
etc were starting nesting. I continued to
yesterday's site and found no trace of my
male. So I returned and found a resonably
easy wading spot which took me into scattered
babuls on little ridges some distance from
the hereonry itself. In no time at all I
had sighted 10 males, 6 females and 8 active
nests. Each nest was in a separate babul
(the largest available; 15-20 feet) and
was "affixed" to the underside
of the old nest of another bird (something
not I think recorded before). 6 were under
probable Little Egret nests and the now
scrappy twig cover formed a roof. The nests
were scruffier than the Sonepat one and
at least one was still being actively built
by the pair. The other two were on the underside
of Pied Starling nests, one of which I think
was still occupied!Of these 10 males 2 were
sitting very close to the nest ans singing
strongly ( I suspect the females were incubating
inside), 6 were with their females singing
and fussing round the nests (one pairactively
lining it). Two were singing high in babuls
but I could not locate either nests or females.
The pairs were no more than 10 metres from
each other and several were audible at once.
I saw no interactions between them. Several
individuals flew off the island to the bund
and this may be the origin of Suresh's March
and my 14 June birds. I only covered about
25% of the island for fear of disturbing
the incipient heronry. I would estimate
that if Sind Sparrows are in all the larger
babuls (perhaps, like Spanish Sparrows,
in the base of the active waterbird nests)
then the colony is at least twice if not
thrice the number I counted (ie around 20-30
breeding pairs). Is this all a result of
this year's invasion? Perhaps, but this
colony is off the beaten track (except by
Nilgai and buffaloes) and only those who
know the distinctive chirruping interspersed
with the White Wagtail note are likely to
pick them up. They also seem only to be
fairly noisy from 0530-0730 and again from
1730- dusk. We have a wonderful opportunity
to track what is clearly a spread into India.
More anon.
Sind Sparrows in Haryana, May 13,
2001. - Bill Harvey
Clive Harris and I met up with Suresh C.
Sharma, Anil Bhole and Jagbir this morning
for Suresh to take us round his Sonepat
hot spots. In spite of the heat later on
it was a most enjoyable and productive visit
and I will post a summary later on.
For all of us the highlight was locating
Suresh's Sind Sparrows along the canal
near Mohammedabad and finding the first
ever nest in Haryana. Given that the species
was first seen by Suresh in January this
year, the finding of a nest is both remarkable
and confirms that this bird has indeed
crossed the great divide from the Indus
and is colonising India. I have photographs
of both sexes and the nest.
We saw 3 males and 2 females, one pair
of which were just completing the nest
and drove the other 3 birds off when they
entered the tree. The nest was a large
fairly neat oval shape made of coarse
yellowish grass and being lined with fine
grass and feathers by the female (we watched
them "stealing" feathers from
an unoccupied open nest of unknown species
nearby) The sparrow's nest was 8 feet
up quite well hidden near the foilage
covered trunk of a babul (Acacia arabica).
There were many of these trees lined at
close intervals on either side of the
canal.
Descriptions
The species was not in our view markedly
smaller than a House Sparrow (seen just
before and after) but it was certainly
slimmer, smaller headed and perhaps longer
tailed. The bill is neater and smaller
than on a House Sparrow with a fine rather
pointed tip.
The male had a distinctive quite high-pitched
and rather "rocking" song "chitta,
chitta, chitta", which was quite
distinct from the chirruping song of House
Sparrow. both sexes had a soft "cheep,
cheep" call which I doubt one would
pick up as different from House Sparrow,
but interspersed with it was a quite distinct
repeated "tswep, tswep" reminiscent
of a White Wagtail.
The males had a dove-grey forehead, crown
and nape, paler on the colllar and cheeks
and contrasting with a fairly broad sweeping
stripe from eye tohalf way round the cheek
which was a distinct bright russet chestnut,
paler and brighter than the similar mark
on a House Sparrow. The mantle was rich
brown with both darker and paler markings
merging into a distinctly brown back and
rump which in turn merged into narrow
grey upper tail coverts (male House Sparrow
has whole uppertail coverts, rump and
back distinctly grey). The lesser coverts
(shoulder) were distinctly chestnut with
a very obvious white border to the median
coverts adding to the bird's bright appearance.
The cheeks were uniform pale grey continuing
to a grey throat, breast and belly (most
guides show a contrast between cheeks
and breast but this was definitely not
so; perhaps breeding plumage). The distinctive
bib is quite long and narrow with straight
sides (i.e. rather rectangular) quite
unlike the round bib (whether small or
large and blotched) of male House Sparrows
of any age. The bill was blackish indicating
breeding.
The female, although superficially like
a female House Sparrow, was more distinctive
than the guides suggest. The broad sweeping
pale whitish supercilium runs back from
the eye and contrasts much more with the
plain pale brown crown a very distinctly
greyish and concolorous cheeks. These
(unlike the males) contrast quite markedly
with the more House Sparrow-like buffish-white
throat, breast and belly. The other striking
feature was the distinct pale chestnut
lesser wing coverts (shoulder) very similar
to those of two Chestnut-shouldered Petronias
we saw later. The bill was greyish horn
on the upper mandible, yellow on the lower.
When not nest building, singing and chasing
interlopers the two birds fed picking
off the babul leaves and only once did
the male descend to the ground. They were
remarkably confiding near the nest but
thus easily by passed.
We would urge all Delhi-based birders
to keep a careful look-out for this latest
addition to our avifauna especially
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See The
Sparrow I & II
articles for more information regarding
Sparrows |
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