Educate Yourself About the Song Sparrow and Other Sparrows
Song Sparrow
The song Sparrow has a round head, a stout bill, distinct cheek marks, heavy breast streaks converge into a large central spot, broad rounded wings and a long rounded tail.
Its length is 5-6in (13-15cm) Its wingspan is 8in (20cm) Its voice is a series of notes, starting with bright, repetitive notes, “sweet, sweet, sweet”. The call note is a low, nasal “tchep”. Their eggs are greenish white with blotches of reddish, brown and purple. They usually have 2-3 clutches consisting of 2-3 or (3-5) eggs. The female incubates for about 12-14 days, and the fledging time is 9-12 days, may be up to 16. Both male and female feed their young. The female looks the same, but a touch smaller.
The Song Sparrow has no less than 31 cousins or subspecies as they are called, and look more or less about the same. You will soon find out that the easiest way to separate them from each other, is trough their song. The Song Sparrow is found throughout North America, and they vary is size and in color. Look for them in old fields with scattered shrubs, and along brush fencerows.
Witch native sparrows you will find in your bird feeding garden will first depend on what part of the country you live in, and second what kind of habitat you provide for them. Here are some sparrows from different part of the country: The Grasshopper, Savannah, and the Vesper sparrows like a meadow garden, weedy fields, or patches of prairie wildflowers and grasses in just about any area.
For the Lark, Three, and White-crowned Sparrows, west of the Mississippi, plant a hedgerow along the field. Change a grassy field into Sagebrush, and you will find the Brewer’s Sparrow a great home. The Fox Sparrow will spend fall and winter in southern bird feeding gardens, but will move north of the Mason-Dixon Line come spring.
The common Song Sparrow and a few others will stay in their range all year around. The birds that you see in the winter time, are most likely not the same ones that were nesting there in the summer time. They are usually birds that have spent their summer further north, and will have moved southward for the upcoming cold months.
The Song Sparrows from the northern latitudes will often mingle with other nonmigratory cousins, before they are ready to migrate to warmer southern states and northern Mexico for the winter. Some males do not migrate at all, and will defend their territories all year around, but the ones that do, will winter further north, so they can quickly get home to claim the most attractive nesting territories. The female will migrate further south, and take her sweet time coming back for nesting seasons. The winter Song Sparrows large flock usually consists of migrant birds and juveniles.
If you watch carefully at your bird feeding stations, a clear pattern of dominance will emerge. You will notice that the older more experienced birds will feed next to shrubs and tall grass, to be more protected against predators, such as the Cooper’s Hawk or the Sharp-shinned Hawk. The male witch is some what larger then the female, will dominate the food supply.
In cold weather the Song Sparrow needs to consume a large amount a food, up to between 85 to 4.000 seeds per hour (depending on the size of seed) to obtain enough energy to survive long cold winter night. During the summer months they will feast on different kinds of insects, like grasshoppers, beetles, termites, cutworms, ants, and flies. The other half of their diet consists of weed seeds, elderberries, blackberries, and other fruits that are available.
The Female Song Sparrow, who has about tree clutches per year, will build her first nest among clumps of grass on the ground, so be very careful during nesting season, not to trample any of the tiny nests hidden in the tall grass on the ground. The later nests will usually be built in low shrubs and conifers, where they will be slightly more protected.
Song Sparrows will develop their whole repertoire of songs, just a few months after hatching, and you will be able to differentiate their distinct variety of dialects from different local populations.
If you like to attract the Song Sparrow and other sparrows, plant elderberries, blackberries, pigweed, foxtail grass, goldenrod, ragweed and other common weeds. Fill your hanging bird feeders and bird tables with small nutritious seeds of millet, or just toss them on the ground for the birds to scratch around in. If possible arrange for a weedy or uncut part of your lawn to grow high witch will bring shelter to all kinds of small ground feeding birds as well.
