BIRDS: PASSERINES: SPARROWS AND BUNTINGS

Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia

Family Emberizidae (Sparrows and Buntings)

Size: 6"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Thickets, shrubs, woodland edges near water

One of the most common sparrows, the song sparrow is fairly plump, with a long, rounded tail. It is brown and gray with streaking above, and white below, with heavy dark or brownish streaking that often congeals into a discrete spot in the middle of its breast. Its head has a dark crown with a gray medial stripe, dark eye lines, and a dark malar stripe above the white chin. Song sparrows are usually seen in small groups or individually, foraging on the ground for insects and seeds. The song is a series of chips and trills of variable pitch, and the call is a chip, chip, chip. The adult is illustrated.