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Song Sparrow - (Melospiza melodia)
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April
21, 2009 - The song sparrow is an enthusiastic singer
and we look forward to all our little sparrows and to
the nesting and baby process. Unfortunately, this bird
is a common host of the cowbird. We ourselves seem to be
an excellent host for the cowbird this year. Yikes! |
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March 19, 2009 - We have what
appears to be a single song sparrow. He hops merrily
around the yard, double scratching and seems quite
content to look under feeders and last year's
vegetation. Sure hope he draws other song sparrows to
our back yard. |
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The song sparrow is the most widespread sparrow in North
America. There are differing opinions of whether our
area of New York is in the year-round or summer only
range. We seem to be right on the edge of the split.
We have seen song sparrows from March 28th in the
sparkly snow to September 8th in the green grass and
weeds. It seems the song sparrows have settled the
argument for at least this summer. Since they are known
to return to a similar area each year, we hope to see
them in spring.
We did have a visit from a song sparrow on November 1st.
At first glance of his back, we thought it might be the
American tree sparrow. Oops! |
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It has been said that being very familiar with the
appearance of the song sparrow, will make indentifying
any unknown sparrow easier. Make notes of how the new
bird differs from the song sparrow's traits- size,
color, crown, throat, eye-lines, cheeks, and chest
streaking. And then nothing beats having at least
several reference bird books at the ready.
Of course, sparrows songs differ from each other and
within each type. The song sparrow has an eight to ten
song repertoire. Other males in his area may have the
same component notes, but songs differ. The song sparrow
is a persistent and melodious (implied in Latin name)
singer and added much to our backyard chorus this year.
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Size:
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Length: 5-7 in
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Weight: .7 oz
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Wingspan: 8-12.5 in
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ID:
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Male: Brownish gray streaked upper parts; more
brown on wing and tail; whitish under parts;
brown streaking on sides and breast; dark
central breast spot; dark line beneath eye;
grayish eyebrow; dark malar stripe bordering
white throat; brown crown with pale central
stripe; long rounded tail; bill short, sharp and
gray; pinkish gray feet anisodactylous (three
toes point forward and one toe points backward)
Female:Similar to male; slightly smaller than
male
Juvenile: Similar to male; finely streaked
breast without the central spot; buffier color
overall
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Habitat:
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Shrubs, thickets, forest edges, open fields
and lawns
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Diet:
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Insects, seeds, berries and fruit; forages on
ground and in vegetation by double scratching
(slight hop forward with both feet, then a sweep
backward kicking aside debris exposing any food)
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits:Monogamous but sometimes
polygynous; male will defend territory (half to
one and a half acres) by singing from prominent
perches; 2-3 broods per year
Local Breeding Period: April
Nests:Cup-shaped; built of grass, weeds, leaves
and bark by female; first nest placed among
clumps of grass and later ones put in low
shrubs and conifers
Eggs: 3-6 greenish white with reddish brown
markings; female incubates 12-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes
closed) and stay in nest 9-16 days; male and
female feed; male may feed one brood while
female builds new nest for new brood
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Social Activities:
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Solitary or in pairs; may form small loose
flocks, migrate just south enough to avoid snow
accumulation; fluffs feathers to keep warm;
males are more dominant at food sources because
they are slightly larger than females
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Range:
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Southern Canada and Alaska; most of northern
US; southern half of US for some winter
migration
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Vocalization:
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Introductory trills and clear note sweet,
sweet, sweet or seet, seet; repeats every couple
of minutes; call is chimp with nasal ssst; much
individual variation between birds, but each
bird usually has one song sequence
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| Lifespan: |
Up to 9 years |
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