Grasshopper sparrow

Grasshopper sparrow
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae
Genus: Ammodramus
Species:
A. savannarum
Binomial name
Ammodramus savannarum
(Gmelin, 1789)
  Breeding
  Year-round
  Nonbreeding
Synonyms

Coturniculus savannarum

The grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) is a small New World sparrow. It belongs to the genus Ammodramus, which contains three species that inhabit grasslands and prairies. Grasshopper sparrows are sometimes found in crop fields and they will readily colonize reclaimed grassland. In the core of their range, grasshopper sparrows are dependent upon large areas of grassland where they avoid trees and shrubs.[2] They seek out heterogenous patches of prairie that contain clumps of dead grass or other vegetation where they conceal their nest, and also contain barer ground where they forage for insects (especially grasshoppers), spiders, and seeds.[3] Grasshopper sparrows are unusual among New World sparrows in that they sing two distinct song types, the prevalence of which varies with the nesting cycle. The primary male song, a high trill preceded by a stereotyped series of short chips, is reminiscent of the sounds of grasshoppers[4] and is the origin of this species' name. Like some other birds of the central North American grasslands, this species also moves around a lot, not only via annual migrations, but individuals frequently disperse between breeding attempts or breeding seasons. Grasshopper sparrows are in steep decline across their range, even in the core of the breeding distribution in the tallgrass prairies of the central Great Plains.[5] The Florida grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) is highly endangered.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Ammodramus savannarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22721144A138486868. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ Herse, Mark R.; With, Kimberly A.; Boyle, W. Alice (September 2018). Stanley, Margaret (ed.). "The importance of core habitat for a threatened species in changing landscapes". Journal of Applied Ecology. 55 (5): 2241–2252. Bibcode:2018JApEc..55.2241H. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13234. S2CID 90975257.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ North American Bird Conservation Initiative. 2022. The State of the Birds, United States of America, 2022. StateoftheBirds.org