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Song Sparrow

(Melospiza melodia)
Banded July 12, 1997 - Carmel, Indiana

General Information

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.

The head is brown with a whitish or grayish median crown stripe and eye stripe. Streaking on the breast produces a black patch on the chest.

Figure 1 - Adult Song Sparrow

Figure 2 - Adult Song Sparrow

The bill is dark brown to horn colored. The lower mandible is lighter than the upper.

Preferred habitat for this species is brushy areas, especially in fields, along streams and the borders of woodlands. Some individuals withdraw from the northernmost parts of its range in the winter, but it can be found over most of North America in the winter.

Figure 3 - Adult Song Sparrow

Figure 4 - Song Sparrow Upper Wing

The upper wing is brownish with some rust color in the greater covets.

The flank is streaked with brown. Underneath the wing, flight feathers are grayish. The band on the right leg of this bird can be clearly seen in this photo.

Figure 5 - Flank and Under Wing

Figure 6 - Song Sparrow Upper Tail

The tail is brown, fairly long, and rounded.

Nesting Behavior

Song Sparrows build a cup nest of weeds and grasses lined with hair and finer plant materials. The nest is often placed in a bush or small tree. Three to 6 eggs are incubated by the female for up to 2 weeks. Both parents care for the young who fledge in from one to 2 weeks. Song Sparrows may raise 2 or 3 broods in a breeding season.

Banding Recoveries

The Bird Banding Lab web site reports that some 616,651 Song Sparrows have been banded since 1955. Of these, 16,502 have been recovered, a recovery rate of 2.67%.

If you should recover a banded bird, please report the band number to the Bird Banding Lab by calling 1-800-327-BAND.

Conservation Status

Populations of Song Sparrows are holding steady. They were considered abundant in Colonial times, and because they prefer brushy habitats, seem to have, benefited by the clearing of the dense forests that once covered North America. They prefer to forage on the ground, and readily visit backyard feeders where seeds are offered.

Literature Cited

Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part 1. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA 730 Pp.

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