Grasshopper Sparrow

grasshopper sparrow

Species

1. PhylumChordata
2. ClassAves
3. OrderPasseriformes
4. FamilyFringillidae

A small (4 ½ inches) sparrow named for its insect-like song, the Grasshopper Sparrow is easy to overlook. Mostly buff-brown streaked with brown above and cream below, this sparrow may be identified from its large head, small body, and pale eye-stripes. Males and females are similar to one another in all seasons, while the juvenile has a streaked breast. The Grasshopper Sparrow breeds across a large portion of the eastern United States and the Great Plains from the Canada border well into the Deep South. There are also isolated breeding areas in the mountain west and along the coast of California. Despite its wide distribution, however, the Grasshopper Sparrow is an uncommon breeder throughout most of its breeding range due to specific habitat requirements. Grasshopper Sparrows migrate south for the winter, where they may be found along the Gulf coast, the coastal southeast, and along the U.S. -Mexico border. The Grasshopper Sparrow inhabits grassland habitats in its breeding and winter ranges. This species prefers grasslands that are drier and more open, with less ground-covering grass litter, than those inhabited by Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii). In summer, Grasshopper

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of

taxon

Parent taxon

Ammodramus

Image

Grasshopper Sparrow.jpg

via Wikidata · CC0