Environmentalists and activists have warned that the house sparrow might face extinction from out cities if they are not protected.

They cited reasons like urbanisation and rising pollution as the main reason for the disappearance of the cheerful birds. Environmentalists are encouraging people to take part in initiatives to protect the birds that are often a good indicated of the health of the environment. Nehru Zoological Park Curator A. Sankaran pointed out that the house sparrow now can only be spotted at 15 to 20 locations across the busy Hyderabad.

The zoo is planning to establish a sparrow club to mark World Sparrow Day on Wednesday in order to help interested people and groups in protecting the bird. P. Mallikarjuna Rao, Director of Zoological Parks said that the Zoo authorities will provide necessary materials and nests to the interested poeple.

Rajani Vakkalanka of Citizens Action for Local Biodiversity Awareness and Conservation said that only a few hundreds birds are now left in Hyderabad. She said that the group is working to protect the birds at Attapur by providing safe places with nests and feeding facilities. They are also involved in awareness programmes about the issue and are encouraging residents to take up similar initiatives in their areas.