Sparrows, Buntings

Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii

Family Emberizidae (Sparrows, Buntings)

Size: 5.75"

Season: Summer

Habitat: Moist areas with shrubs or low trees, marshes, thickets

The Lincoln’s sparrow is a skulking, secretive, compact sparrow with a relatively thin bill and a raised crest when alarmed. The upperparts are brownish and streaked with black, while the underparts are buff with fine, dark streaking and a white belly. The head has a rufous crown stripe, gray median crown stripes, a gray supercilium, dark borders above and below the auriculars, and a dark malar stripe. Lincoln’s sparrows feed on the ground for insects and seeds, commonly scratching the ground. Their voice is a short, warbling, musical song of buzzy notes and trills. The breeding adult is illustrated.