Did you notice that the crows aren't cawing anymore in Dhaka?

One of Bangladesh's most popular musical bands, Chirkutt, once released a song whose lyrics were like, 'ei sohorer kaktao jene geche, amar mon ta tomarr mone pore ache'. 

Imagine who will witness our romantic encounters if no crows are left in Dhaka city? Anyone looking outside right now can still hear man-made noises like cars and crows cawing. However, in any residential area, common black crows are evident. In the morning, anyone could hear the mechanical cry of a crow as if it were winding the stirring days after the quiet night of Dhaka.

Crows can also be found in literary works. There is hardly anyone who hasn't read about the story of the 'thirsty crow' in childhood. Besides, in Bengali folklore, black crows were seen as omens of ill fortune and were associated with death and tragedy. They were believed to bring bad luck and were often feared as harbingers of misfortune. 

Renowned cartoonist Rafiqun Nabi, also known as Ranabi, drew crow in a few of his sketches in addition to his well-known cartoon Tokai. Famous Bengali poet Jibanananda Das wrote in his famous poem 'Abar Ashibo Fire': "hoyto vorer kak hoye ei kartiker nobanner deshe."

When people used to walk near Rabindra Shorobor, Dhanmondi Lake, in the morning, they used to see the plight of the crows marching in the streets. The flying crows looked like black dots in the reddish twilight sky, reminding a famous painting by Van Gogh, 'Wheatfield with Crows.' 

The entire evening sky was filled with the wing beats of a large flock of crows flying in one direction to return to their homes or nests as it was getting dark. Their cawing filled the air as hundreds descended to their homes as the minutes passed. 

However, a few years ago, we had no idea that we might not get another chance to witness such a sizable gathering of these amazing birds. Writer-activist Arundhati Roy wrote in the opening paragraph of her latest novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, "Not many noticed the passing of the friendly old birds. There was so much else to look forward to." 

Although they are still quite common in our area, lately, it is rare to see a typical flock of crows in the neighbourhood. One must wonder if the next generations may not wake up hearing the caws of the most common bird of Dhaka city. 

Disappearing crows: Ecological hazards

There is a growing decline in the presence of the crow, the original Prokritir Dhangar (sanitary worker) of our cities, who cleared entire neighbourhoods of leftovers. Their raspy calls are not as common as they once were. Humans were enraged with them because of their harsh cawing and diet of roadkill and rodents. They were always the boys' go-to targets for target practice.

Birds are a part of intricate ecological systems. As people continue to destroy their habitats, contaminate their food chain, and hunt them down more than ever, crow populations in Bangladesh are declining. Natural forests are rapidly disappearing due to the need to accommodate the rising land demand in Bangladesh, one of the world's most populous countries currently pursuing industrialisation. 

After multiplying and flourishing for the past 200 million years, the winged creature now faces existential threats on several fronts and appears to be going extinct one by one. Seven species of vultures called Bangladesh home even in the latter half of the 20th century. The remaining two are seldom seen, and maybe the final two. Five of them have already vanished.

Once found throughout Bangladesh, the pink-headed duck has become rare in recent years. Bengal floricans were formerly common in northern Bangladesh but hadn't been seen in the past century. Hundreds of thousands of members of other bird species also perished in silence before humans could notice, much like the vultures from Bangladesh. 

Different birds have been observed in large numbers in rural areas in the past, including herons, doves, swallows, kites, pelicans, cuckoos, pigeons, sparrows, and crows. But these days, it's rare to see the national birds—the owl, kingfisher, cuckoo, dove, sparrow, and woodpecker, in particular. No one sees the famous spring bird that used to say "Bou Kotha Kou" and makes everyone in the village drunk. These birds are unknown to the current generation.

A wake-up call? 

The physical environment surrounding animals and plants, as well as interactions between them, sustain the ecology. A decline in bird populations or their extinction will undoubtedly impact the relationship between the two. 

Biologist Rachel Carson documented the harm and impending repercussions of human "contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials," or "elixirs of death," in her seminal book Silent Spring, published in 1962. 

Crow is dubbed the "Scavenger Bird" because, at damping sites, they dispose of a sizable amount of unwanted waste. They were purposefully brought into other nations primarily to help with environmental cleanup, particularly about waste. 

In the food chain, these organisms are significant. Because they clean up the trash that we dump on our streets, they are also vital to the health of our urban ecosystems. Like other birds, crows consume certain plant fruits that contain seeds. As a result, they contribute to plant propagation by passing on their viable seed contents.

The development of infrastructure, mineral oil extraction, pollution, and pesticides used in agriculture have become constant threats to birds. Furthermore, the consequences of climate change are viewed as a fresh danger. It wouldn't be incorrect to assume that their population has decreased or will continue to decrease, mostly as a result of improved sanitation (trash being thrown into dustbins or covered with plastic to keep crows out), habitat loss (trees being chopped down), and poisoning from pesticide- and poison-killed cockroaches and rats. 

Pollution is a major contributing factor to the decline in the plight of the crow. Toxic chemical compounds are easily spread throughout Dhaka's air, water, and soil, where they can accumulate in food chains within the bodies of birds and ultimately kill them through poisoning. 

The disappearance of crows is a wake-up call for humans regarding the adverse effect of climate change on ecology. Bangladesh has built 120 power plants in the last ten years, most along rivers and the coast, encroaching on large grassland and shorebird habitats. There are plans to build another 100 power plants, some of which threaten the remaining stretches of virgin forest, like the Sundarbans. To create economic zones, flowing rivers and their floodplains are also being filled in. Over the next ten years, the government intends to create 100 such zones.

Even though the crow's raspy voice wasn't very pleasant, anyone could hear the excitement with which it delivered each sentence. Actions must be taken before several crows further dwindle. The development is necessary for the economy of Bangladesh, but the cost we have to pay for it is very high and somewhat irreplaceable. 

If Crow disappears from Bangladesh, a part of us will also disappear with it. The most common bird of Dhaka city will remain only as a relic in any museum.

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