March 20 : World Sparrow Day

World Sparrow Day is observed every year on March 20. Aim of this day is to raise awareness about the decline in the sparrow population and the need for their conservation. This day is an opportunity for individuals and communities to come together and act to protect and conserve sparrows.

Sparrows are a small brown bird species that have long existence in urban and rural areas. They are known for their cheerful chirping and lively behavior. However, over the past few decades sparrows have faced  decline in their population due to wide range of factors including loss of their habitats, environmental pollution and changes in agricultural practices.

World Sparrow Day History

The idea of celebrating World Sparrow Day emerged during an informal discussion at the offices of the Nature Forever Society.

The idea was to set aside a day to convey the message of conservation of house sparrows and other common birds to the world and celebrate it as a day of celebration to appreciate the beauty of common biodiversity.

The Nature Forever Society was founded by Mohammed Dilawar. Who is conservationist in India. He started his work of helping the house sparrows in Nashik.

Now it is an international initiative by this society of India in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and so many other national and international organisations around the world.

Events

Various events and campaigns are conducted to raise awareness about the conservation of sparrows. For example, the Nature Forever Society conducts educational programs like bird walks and sparrow nest box installations to promote sparrow conservation. Other organizations around the world also conduct similar events and campaigns on this day.

Theme

The theme of World Sparrow Day changes every year to focus on a specific aspect of sparrow conservation. The theme for 2022 was "Protecting Sparrow Habitats". 

The theme for 2023 is “I Love Sparrows”, aiming encouraging more people to appreciate the relationship between humans and sparrows.

World Sparrow Day is an opportunity for individuals, organizations and governments to come together to celebrate the beauty and diversity of sparrows and to take action to conserve them. On this day people are encouraged to participate in activities such as bird watching, bird feeding and birdhouse building to attract sparrows to their homes and communities.