Echoes of adaptation: House sparrows’ ecological response to shifting human disturbances

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Human disturbances are being increasingly recognized for their impact on the behavior of urban wildlife during the Anthropocene. This study was conducted to gain insights into the changes in population density of House sparrows (Passer domesticus) to different degrees of human disturbance during various stages of COVID-19. A “disturbance score” was computed by considering four variables: human movement, number of vehicles plying, number of shops opened, and ambient noise level. Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) was used to understand the influence of the disturbance variables on the House sparrows’ density among different phases of lockdown and across different sites. Our findings revealed that the second COVID wave exhibited the highest population density (number/ha) at 4.64 ± 0.941, followed by the first wave at 3.73 ± 1.21. In addition, our results suggest that lockdown phases and disturbance variables significantly influenced the sparrow population density. Furthermore, there were notable variations in sparrow population densities across the different lockdown phases. Similarly, the disturbance variables seem to influence the sparrow population density across the lockdown phases, except for the before-lockdown and first-wave lockdowns, possibly indicating a lag in the sparrows’ adaptive response to the changing urban environment. The findings have unveiled a significant pattern in the behavioral responses of sparrows to human disruptions. The decline in the presence of sparrows in areas with higher anthropogenic disturbances, following the relaxation of lockdown regulations indicates a potential shift of these birds to quieter sites. The capacity of sparrows to adjust their behavior has enabled them to take advantage of decreased disruptions, which could impact their documented population density. Thus, this study emphasizes the need to incorporate wildlife behavioral responses to human disturbances into urban planning and management strategies.