Field sparrow

Field sparrow
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passerellidae
Genus: Spizella
Species:
S. pusilla
Binomial name
Spizella pusilla
(Wilson, 1810)
  Breeding
  Year-round
  Nonbreeding
Field sparrow in Central Park

The field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is a small New World sparrow in the family Passerellidae. It is about 140 mm (6 in) long and weighs about 12.5 g (0.4 oz). The head is grey with a rust-coloured crown, white eye-ring and pink bill. The upper parts are brown streaked with black and buff, the breast is buff, the belly is white and the tail is forked. There are two different colour morphs, one being greyer and the other more rufous.

The field sparrow is distributed across eastern Canada and the eastern United States, with northern populations migrating southwards to southern United States and north-eastern Mexico in the fall.[2] The typical habitat of this bird is bushy country with shrubs and grassland. The nest is a cup-shaped construction built on the ground and hidden beneath a bush or clump of grass. The birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, feeding mainly on seeds and insects. The population is thought to be in slow decline, but it is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

  1. ^ BirdLife International. (2021). "Spizella pusilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22721179A136931238. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22721179A136931238.en. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. ^ Roger Tory Peterson; Edward L. Chalif (1999). A Field Guide to Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 255. ISBN 9780395975145. Archived from the original on 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2023-11-08.