Latest Field Sparrow Stories
When mature male white-crowned sparrows duel to win a mate or a nesting territory, a young bird just doesn't get much respect. Researchers found that older male white-crowned sparrows don't put much of a fight when they hear a young male singing in their territory – probably because the older bird doesn't consider the young rival much of a threat. But a male sparrow will act much more aggressively if it hears a bird of the same age singing in a territory it claims as its own....
While singing the same songs as your neighbors may sound harmonious, research conducted at Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) suggests that song-sharing amongst song sparrow populations is actually an aggressive behavior, akin to flinging insults back and forth."It's been hypothesized that repertoire size and song complexity is about the singer's ability to advertise their quality as a mate," says lead author Janet Lapierre, a visiting biologist from the University of Western...
Latest Field Sparrow Reference Libraries
The Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is a small sparrow with brown upperparts, a light brown breast, a white belly, wing bars and a forked tail. They have a grey face, a rusty crown, a white eye ring and a pink bill. They prefer shrubby fields and can be found across eastern North America. The nest is an open cup on the ground under a clump of grass or in a small thicket. These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Northern birds migrate to the southern...
The Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) is a small sparrow found in shrubby open areas and Jack Pine woods across central Canada and central northern United States east to the Great Lakes. They build their nests on the ground or low in a shrub. Adults have light brown upperparts, pale underparts, and darker streaks on the back. The crown is dark brown with a pale stripe and the eyes sport a white line over each and a darker line within. The cheek patch is light brown. The wings are...
The Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) is a medium-sized sparrow and the lone member of the genus Pooecetes. Adults are light brown on top, lighter underneath. Throughout their plumage is darker streaking. They have a white eye ring and a long dark brown tail which shows white outer feathers in flight. They can be found in open grassy areas across most of North America and they build their open cup nests on the ground, usually under a clump of grass. These birds winter in southern...
The Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a medium-sized sparrow that was named by Audubon after his friend, Thomas Lincoln. Adult birds have dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts, a light brown breast with fine streaks, a white belly and a white throat. Their cap is brown and has a grey stripe in the middle. Their wings are olive-brown and their tail narrow. Their face is grey with brown cheeks, a brown line through the eye and an eye ring. They are somewhat similar in appearance to...
The American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) is a medium-sized sparrow that has a rusty cap and grey under-parts with a small dark spot on the breast. They have a rusty back with lighter stripes, brown wings with white bars and a slim tail. Their face is grey with a rusty line through the eye. Their flanks are splashed with light brown. They are similar in appearance to the Chipping Sparrow. Their breeding habitat is tundra or the northern limits of the boreal forest in Alaska and northern...
