India GO
Bird · Passer domesticus
House sparrow
गौरैया (gauraiya)
IUCN LC · Least concern
The small brown bird of courtyards and shopfronts. Numbers fell sharply in Indian cities in the 2000s, and it has become the emblem of urban nature campaigns.
👀 How to recognise it
The male has a grey cap and a black bib, the female is plain buff with a pale stripe behind the eye. Look in old markets and under shop awnings rather than in new glass districts.
Where to see it
Delhi
Declared the state bird of Delhi in 2012 specifically to draw attention to its decline in the city. World Sparrow Day, on 20 March, was started in India.
Sunder Nursery (often) · Lodhi Garden (often) · Shantivan & Parks Beyond Red Fort