Nest site selection of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in Urban and Rural areas of Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India

Study was carried out from January 2023 to March 2025 to assess the nest site selection behavior of the House Sparrow in both urban and rural habitats of Udaipur district, Rajasthan. During the study, House Sparrow nest sites were identified through visual cues exhibited by breeding pairs, such as calling, mating, singing, flying and collection of nesting materials. A total of 421 House Sparrow nests were observed across various habitats in the Udaipur district. Of these, the highest number of nests were located in wooden houses in rural areas (134) followed by nests on trees (126), buildings and houses (68), artificial nest boxes (54) and the lowest number of nests were found in other human-made structures (39), such as lamp posts, electric transformer boxes and road light boxes. During the study, it was observed that House Sparrows exhibit a preference for natural nest sites, such as trees, bushes and shrubs, as well as wooden houses and cow-shelter homes constructed using stems, leaves and grass materials. Conversely, House Sparrows generally exhibit the least preference for nesting on lamp posts, electric boxes, plastic pipes and other human-created structures. Variations in nest shape observed among House Sparrows in urban and rural habitats within the Udaipur district demonstrate the adaptability of the species to diverse environments. Human-derived materials, such as hair, plastic paper, cotton, threads and pieces of cloth, were present in higher amounts in nests in urban areas. However, plant-based nesting materials were found in greater quantities in the rural nests. Study indicated that the availability of materials around nest sites significantly influences the overall composition of nest materials. Conservation of natural and semi-natural habitats within urban and suburban areas is essential for sustaining House Sparrow populations and ensuring the availability of nesting sites.