Richard Collins: We often take the humble house sparrow for granted

There are 24 species of ‘true’ sparrow and the house sparrow is a familiar sight in Irish parks and gardens

House sparrows are mainly monogamous, pairs tending to stay together for life and using the same nest-site year on year. Picture: PA Wire

March 20 was World Sparrow Day. This initiative of India’s Nature Forever Society (NFS) was proposed in 2006 by Mohammed Dilawar, described by Time magazine as one of the 30 most influential conservationists anywhere.

As a child growing up in the holy city of Nashik in Maharashtra, Dilamar was fascinated by sparrows. Decades later, he noticed that there seemed to be far fewer of them around. Surveys confirmed his suspicions; sparrow numbers were falling dramatically in India.