Henslow's sparrow

Adults have streaked brown upperparts with a light brown breast with streaks, a white belly and a white throat. They have a pale stripe on the crown with a dark stripe on each side, an olive face and neck, rust-coloured wings and a short dark forked tail.

The Henslow's sparrow is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/672 doi:10.2173/bna. More

Links to Additional Henslow's Sparrow Information * All About Birds Species Account (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) * Grassland and Savanna Protocols * Wisconsin All-Bird Conservation Plan * Michigan Natural Features Inventory Other Links Related to Birds * All Bird Plan * Important Bird Areas * Managing Habitat for Grassland Birds More

The Henslow's Sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii, is a small American sparrow. Adults have streaked brown upperparts with a light brown breast with streaks, a white belly and a white throat. They have a pale stripe on the crown with a dark stripe on each side, an olive face and neck, rust-coloured wings and a short dark forked tail. Their breeding habitat is shrubby fields, often wet, in southern Canada, the northeastern United States, and the Midwestern United States. More

Henslow's Sparrows use grasslands that have well-developed litter, relatively high cover of tall, dense grasses and generally low woody stem densities. It needs a few scattered forbs for song perches, but mostly goes for tall, native grass prairie to the exclusion of pasture, hayfield or golf course roughs. More

Small and quiet, Henslow's Sparrow is a humble songbird, always close to the ground. Its distinct and complex plumage, one of the few sparrows to show partially greenish color, may reward the patient observer. Few in number and living only in North America, Henslow's Sparrow depends on our willingness to preserve tallgrass habitats. Appearance: Henslow's Sparrow is more often heard than seen, though its song is nothing more than a short, hiccupped "tslick. More

The Henslow's sparrow is among the smallest of sparrows at 4-5.25 in. (10-13 cm) in length. The large flat head, large gray bill and short tail are characteristic with the head, nape, and most of the central crown stripe are olive-colored. The wings are a dark chestnut color and the breast has fine streaks and the olive head and chestnut wings are diagnostic. Due to its timid nature, Henslow's Sparrows are more likely to be heard than seen. More

* Henslow's Sparrow was named by John James Audubon in honor of John Stevens Henslow, a botanist, minister, good friend of Audubon, and teacher of Charles Darwin. * Its population numbers have declined steadily over the past few decades, largely because of habitat loss. More

Bent Life History for the Henslow's Sparrow - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. EASTERN HENSLOW'S SPARROW PASSERHERBULUS HENSLOWII SUSURRANS Brewster HABITS Contributed by WENDELL P. SMITH The Atlantic coastal race of the Henslow's sparrow, described by William Brewster in 1919 from Falls Church, Va. More

The Henslow's Sparrow has a dark back patterned with much rufous, rufous wings, an olive-greenish cast to much of the head and nape, a white eye ring, a buffy breast with dark streaking, and a white belly. Like all Ammodramus sparrows, its short tail is evident in flight. henslow's sparrow Female - Sexes similar. Seasonal change in appearance - None. More

In the early 1900s, Henslow's sparrows were uncommon and rare in all parts of New York State. Populations increased from 1920 to 1940, with several new colonies appearing throughout the state, including Long Island, central and western New York, and corridors along the Hudson, Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. Populations began to decline in the 1950s. Breeding Bird Survey data through 1989 have shown a steady, statistically significant declining trend in New York State and throughout the Northeast. More

to retain the Henslow's sparrow as a "Species of Concern," and will not make it a Candidate Species for Federal listing as threatened or endangered at this time. The Service believes the Henslow's sparrow currently borders on qualifying for Candidate Species status, but there is insufficient evidence that the species should become a Candidate Species at this time. More

A Henslow's Sparrow is 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 inches long. It is notable for an olive face, rusty sides and wings, and white streaks on its head. There are two dark streaks on the sides of the throat one behind each eye. It has a short ail and pale bill. Habitat and behavior: Henslow's Sparrows live in remnants of prairies and in unmowed hay fields. They nest in loose colonies. The nest is cup-shaped, formed near the ground in the grass. More

Henslow's sparrows within the species' range (Hands et al.1989). Henslow's sparrows were not regularly reported from Ohio until the 1920s. They started declining in northern and central Ohio during the 1940s and disappeared from most of this range by the 1960s, largely because of intensive agricultural land-use. While Henslow's sparrows declined in glaciated Ohio, numbers increased in southern and unglaciated counties where the birds found abundant nesting habitat on reclaimed surface mines. More

Breeding distribution of Henslow's Sparrow in the United States and southern Canada, based on Breeding Bird Survey data, 1985-1996. Scale represents average number of individuals detected per route per year. Map from J. T. Price, American Bird Conservancy, Boulder, Colorado, pers. comm. - Keys to management are providing large areas with suitable habitat (tall, dense, herbaceous vegetation with well-developed litter), avoiding habitat disturbances during the breeding season, and controlling succession. More

Henslow's Sparrow in Iowa = - = Henslow's Sparrow nesting observations, habitat associations, and history in Iowa - Peter B. Melde (1) and Rolf Koford (2) (1) 1922B North Center St. Rd., Marshalltown, IA 50158. (2) Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Science Hall II, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. More

The Henslow's Sparrow breeds only in old fields, pastures and wet meadows that have not been extensively invaded by shrubs. As a ground nester, it requires dense, tall grasses, and thatch, or decaying plant material, for cover. This sparrow moves on to new locations as plant succession changes the specific habitat conditions upon which it depends. More

The Henslow's Sparrow, first discovered in 1820 in Kentucky by J.J. Audubon, was named by him in 1831 in honor of the famous Cambridge University professor John Stevens Henslow. Once abundant, its populations are now scattered and much reduced. It is now considered a species of special management concern. The following photographs, taken by Jason and Teresa Lewis at the Jefferson Proving Ground in southern Indiana, were kindly provided by them for this web page. Our thanks go to them and to Dr. More