Bachman's sparrow

Bachman's sparrow

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae
Genus: Peucaea
Species:
P. aestivalis
Binomial name
Peucaea aestivalis
Subspecies

Peucaea aestivalis aestivalis
Peucaea aestivalis bachmani
Peucaea aestivalis illinoensis

  Breeding
  Year-round
Synonyms[3]
  • Aimophila aestivalis (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
  • Fringilla aestivalis Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823

Bachman's sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis), also known as the pinewoods sparrow or oakwoods sparrow, is a small American sparrow that is endemic to the southeastern United States. This species was named in honor of Reverend John Bachman.[4]

Adults have rufous brown upperparts and crown with gray and black streaking on the nape, back and primaries. The face is gray with a rufous brown eyestripe. It has a buff colored breast and whitish belly. These are mid-sized New World sparrows, measuring 12.2–16.2 cm (4.8–6.4 in) and weighing 18.4–23 g (0.65–0.81 oz).[5]

Their breeding habitat is open pine forests. The domed nest is usually built on the ground near a clump of grass or a bush. Females lay three to five eggs.

Bachman's sparrow is primarily a non-migratory resident, but it may retreat from some of the most northerly territories. The species is mainly a granivore, but it will also take some insects.

This bird is considered near threatened by the IUCN, with habitat loss one of the major factors often cited in its decline. Habitat degradation due to later stages of forest succession has also been attributed to the decline of this species. Prescribed forest burns may assist in recovery.

The song begins as a clear whistle, followed by a short trill.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Peucaea aestivalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22721256A179939235. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22721256A179939235.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ NatureServe (7 April 2023). "Peucaea aestivalis". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Peucaea aestivalis". Avibase.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference BNA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, John B. Dunning Jr. (ed.). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585.