Song Sparrow

The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized American sparrow.

The Song Sparrow is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized American sparrow. Adults have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown rounded tail. Their face is grey with a streak through the eye. For subspecies, see below. More

the Song Sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you: it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area. If it perches on a low shrub, leans back, and sings a stuttering, clattering song, so much the better. More

Song sparrows feed on the ground or by picking food from vegetation. REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY Socially monogamous. The nest is a bulky cup of leaves, strips of bark, grass, and other plants, commonly placed on the ground among grasses, low in a bush, or rarely in a cavity. They usually lay three to six eggs. Nesting takes place from late February (in the southern parts of their range) into August. More

familiarity, the song sparrow would have few peers. Although relatively small and not very conspicuously marked, this species combines a rediness to dwell near humans and a persistent and attractive song with a breeding range extending from Mexico to the outer Aleutians and from the islands off the Atlantic coast to those off the coast of the Pacific. Further, the territories of the males are small and the suitable habitats extensive, with the result that the song sparrow is abundant in most of its range. More

The Song Sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, with a few recorded in Great Britain and Norway. Diet / Feeding These birds forage on the ground, in shrubs or in very shallow water. They mainly eat insects and seeds. Birds in salt marshes may also eat small crustaceans. More

The Song Sparrow occurs over most of North America, with highest densities in the midwestern Great Lakes region. It is one of the most common sparrows, and is highly variable geographically with some 39 subspecies in North America and Mexico (Pyle 1997). Its distinctive song, also variable over its range, includes several introductory notes followed by a buzzy trill and several ending notes. Its persistent singing is a welcome sound in our neighborhoods and countryside. More

Tips: Song Sparrows can be learned, and should be learned, right in the backyard. Watch this bird carefully throughout all times of day. Get a sense of its territorial boundaries and learn the nuances of its communication between mates, and other members of its species as a baseline reference. Every person in America probably has a Song Sparrow living near him or her. More

Song Sparrows live in a variety of dense, brushy thickets. In eastern Washington, they are limited to shrubby habitats close to water. back to top Behavior - Song Sparrows are solitary and highly territorial during the breeding season, but are found in loose flocks during migration and winter. They forage mostly on the ground, sometimes scratching the soil. They will come to bird feeders with adequate cover close by. More

Not all Song Sparrows are migratory; however, in those that are, the male Song Sparrow arrives ahead of the females on the breeding ground to start looking for a good spot to build a nest. Upon arriving, the male Song Sparrow then starts defining his territory by singing his song from three or four prominent perches. This can start as early as February. More

Song sparrow - Dictionary Definition and Overview = Song sparrow : (noun) 1: small songbird common in North America Based on WordNet 2.0 - Sparrow \Spar"row\, n. rr, Dan. spurv, spurre, Sw. sparf, Goth. sparwa; - originally, probably, the quiverer or flutterer, and akin to E. spurn. See Spurn, and cf. Spavin.] 1. (Zol. More

After breeding season, a Song Sparrow's diet consists of weed and grass seeds and a few berries, in addition to insects. Song Sparrows often have three broods per season. After approximately two weeks, the first brood has learned to fly and is ready to leave the nest. At this point, these fledglings become the male's responsibility, and the female begins laying eggs again. More

Song Sparrows have the greatest number of genetically distinct populations of any bird in North America. The total number of subspecies is much debated, but the most recent study suggests there are perhaps as few as 24 in total (Patten 2001 in Arcese et al. 2002): 11 that breed in California (with some recent debate and modifications to subspecies status), and 8 that are endemic to the state (Shuford 1993, Grinnell and Miller 1944, Roberson and Tenney 1993). More

This little brown job is familiar to most birders: the song sparrow is one of the most widespread sparrow species in North America. Though its bland plumage has a wide range of variations, its exquisite voice is easily recognized. More

The Song Sparrow is a medium-sized bird which may be found in virtually any habitat. However, preferred environments include brushlands and freshwater and salt marshes throughout Canada and the United States. These birds are also frequently found in areas of human inhabitation. Northern populations migrate to the southern United States and Mexico during winter months. Some specimens have been seen in Western Europe, Great Britain and Norway. Food is found by foraging on the ground, in shrubs or shallow water. More

Song Sparrow adult has dark brown crown, divided by a slight median line. Superciliums are greyish or whitish. Back is brown streaked with black. Underparts are whitish. Breast is streaked with blackish, with a conspicuous patch in the middle. Wings present fawn tint above, and greyish below. Long tail is rounded. It has conical brown bill, dark brown eyes, dark brown to pinkish brown legs and feet. More

The Song Sparrow is 5 to 6 inches in length and has a whitish breast with brown streaks and a dark central dot. The crown is reddish-brown with a gray central stripe. A short yellow stripe above and in front of the eye. Above parts are a dark olive-gray. Birds in some areas will vary, with paler subspecies in the Southwest and darker subspecies along the West Coast. More

Song Sparrows are widespread in summer in relatively open habitats with adequate brushy cover. Major movements have been recorded from mid-September to late October, but many attempt to winter, making late migrants difficult to record. Estimates of over 100 have been made on Christmas Bird Counts at Broad Cove, Lunenburg County (1976), Halifax West (1976, 1977, 1984), and Wolfville (1976, 1979). Song Sparrows attend feeding stations in winter but are by no means dependent on them. Description Length: 14-16 cm. More

Description: The Song Sparrow is one of America's most common and familiar sparrows. It is often seen singing its melodious song from an exposed perch. Measuring about 6 inches in length, it is mostly brown above and white below with brown streaks through the breast and a conspicuous brown spot in the center. The face is whitish with a brown streak running through the eye and along the cap. Song Sparrows vary in appearance in different parts of their vast range. More

Bird Spotting: The song sparrow can be identified by its streaked breast with a large central spot. The throat is white and bordered by black on each side. In flight the song sparrow pumps its tail. As its name suggests this bird likes to sing and can be heard through the spring and summer. Habitat: The song sparrow resides in urban and suburban areas in thickets, pastures, gardens and city parks. More

Song Sparrow determination Similar species Emberizidae Black-Faced Bunting | Black-Headed Bunting | Chestnut Bunting | Cinereous Bunting | Cirl Bunting | Corn Bunting | Cretzschmars Bunting | Dark-Eyed Junco | Fox Sparrow | House Bunting | Lapland Longspur | Little Bunting | Ortolan Bunting | Pallass Bunting | Pine Bunting | Red-headed Bunting | Reed More

song sparrown (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) a common North American finch, Melospiza melodia, having brown-and-white plumage and a melodious songThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms Noun 1. More

This female song sparrow is having difficulty with a brown-headed cowbird. The cowbird has laid two eggs, but removed one of her own, leaving one egg in the nest. See video highlights for two clips. * http://warbler.ornith.cornell.edu/nest-cam-highlights/2009/PA-whitehall-sosp/pa-whitehall-sosp2009Jun19-05.14.00. More

The Song Sparrow builds its nest on the ground, under a clump of grass. The nest can also be found high up in shrubs or low trees and sometimes in cavities in trees. The nest is made of weeds, grass, leaves and bark, lined with hair and fine grass. The female lays 3-5 pale green eggs with many reddish-brown spots. STATUS Common and widespread overall, but some local populations on the west coast are declining due to habitat loss. More

Song Sparrow ID TipsIdentification tips for the Song Sparrow Range Maps: (Click map to enlarge.) Song Sparrow Breeding Map Song Sparrow Winter Map USGS Breeding Map Winter Map (CBC) Additional photos and information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Photo, description, similar species, sound, range, habitat, food, behavior, reproduction, and conservation status. More

Song sparrows primarily eat fruit, invertebrates, and seeds. Range They are found throughout the United States and Canada. Other Useful Information Song sparrows throughout their range look surprisingly different depending on where in the country they are found, even though they are all part of the same species. Similar Species Savannah sparrow and Lincoln More