(Cleared/Gopa)Trichy: It is not often that one finds a nest built by a scaly-breasted munia (Kathir kuruvi in Tamil), known to be a wild bird, in a busy neighbourhood of Ariyalur town. But that is exactly what has happened much to the amusement of environmentalists. Stating that habitat loss may force such sparrow-sized birds to find safe haven in urban localities, they claimed that noise pollution coupled with excessive use of pesticides on agriculture land have been driving such wild birds to urban localities.According to professor Q Ashoka Chakravarthy, a field biologist who spotted the nest on Jayankondam road in Ariyalur, it was a rarity to witness the nest in urban spots. “The nest of scaly-breasted munia spotted in a residential locality of Ariyalur reveals that the wild bird has began adapting to coexist with humans, which is not a good sign. Habitat loss is the predominant reason for such timid birds to build nests in urban spots,” Ashoka Chakravarthy told TOI.The nest of munia built with grass blades was found on a tree close to a private school on the Ariyalur-Jayankondam main road. While sparrows have been known to build nests close to human settlements, scaly-breasted munia in the recent past was never recorded in the central region this close to human settlements, said Chakravarthy. The field biologist said that excessive noise pollution such as usage of loud speakers in rural areas, particularly near Thirumanoor villages, drove the 4-inch-long birds to human settlements. “Munias play a pivotal role in ecology as well by helping farmers to get rid of pests in agriculture fields,” Ashoka added.Acknowledging that munias were frequent visitors only to Karaivetti bird sanctuary in Ariyalur district, officials with forest department added that they were not seen in Ariyalur town. Environmentalists alleged that the bird was being poached in Ariyalur to be sold as caged pets in cities. “Under Wildlife Protection Act 1972, poaching such birds is an offence. We have been monitoring the hotspots witnessing presence of munias,” an official with forest department said. Citing poaching and habitat destruction as threats to munias, wild life enthusiasts urged the forest department to spread awareness among Ariyalur villagers to safeguard the bird.

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