22 Ara 2024 Pazar
Roosting behaviour of house sparrow (Passer domesticus Linnaeus, 1758) in some urban and rural areas of Jammu Division, J & K
Abstract :447 roosting groups of house sparrow were studied from February 2009 to April 2012 at 6 rural areas and 2 urban areas of Jammu division. The pre-roosting behaviour and roosting sequences like assembly time, time of arrival of birds at roost, sundown, duration of chirping, sunset, first call and departure time in morning in House Sparrow were studied which were found directly linked with light intensity, time of sundown, sunrise , weather condition and type of locality (urban / rural). House Sparrow were found to roosts in pure (non-communal) and mixed groups (Communal). 58.84 % groups were mixed roosters with one species, 3.93% mixed roosting with more than one species and 41.16 % groups are pure rooster. Sparrow was found to be more communal rooster (82 %) in urban areas because of less choices of vegetation and more risk of predation while in rural areas it prefer pure roosting (61%) because of availability of spiny shrubs and low risk of predation. House sparrow used spiny shrubs and trees less than 7 ft. height as favourite roosting vegetation. The spiny vegetation gives protection from predators. In mixed roosts of rural areas, the ratio of House Sparrow to other mixed roosters was found more in number because of less competition from other species due to availability of lot of choices for roosting sites. But in mixed roosts of urban areas, the ratio was found to be less because of less availability of roosting vegetation and more competition from other mixed roosters.
House sparrow, roosting, mixed roosters, pure roosters, vegetation, spiny