Field Sparrow
When a young male Field Sparrow settles into his first territory, he sings more than one song. Within two years he’s down to just one. This song is the closest match to the sound of his most talkative neighbor.

The first Field Sparrows to arrive at the breeding grounds are older males returning to previously held territories. For a period of several weeks after their return, males seek to establish territorial boundaries through skirmishes and vigorous singing. Late-arriving younger males must squeeze their territories between those of established males or use less desirable habitat.

Males begin singing very early in the morning from exposed song perches on shrubs or small trees. Their song is distinctive, rising with a few slurred whistles and accelerating into a trill. On full-moon nights, listeners can hear them well into the evening. When the females return and pairs are formed, the males’ rate of singing suddenly declines.

Singing perches are a critical component of Field Sparrow habitat, covering a quarter of the habitat on the best territories. Field Sparrows also prefer an environment where about half of the woody vegetation is more than 5 feet high. If all the shrubs are shorter, then there are too few song perches.

A pair of Field Sparrows generally has two broods in brushy places throughout the East and Midwest. Concealed by grasses and low weeds, the first nest is usually built very low or on the ground. Taking advantage of early summer growth, the second nest is placed higher, averaging about a yard off of the ground.

Although hatchling Field Sparrows are fed insects by their parents, adult diets consist of grass and weed seeds. They mostly forage on the ground or in low vegetation. The sparrows also require dense grass for foraging and cover.

Field Sparrows are probably more common now than in pre-colonial times when the East was largely forested, but their heyday followed the clearing of land for agriculture and the subsequent abandonment of marginal lands. As succession produced the brushy habitat favored by Field Sparrows, their numbers increased. However, in the last 30 years Eastern populations have declined somewhat as brushy areas revert to forest or are cleared for development.
Field Sparrow Range Map

Description: Field Sparrows, like other sparrows in the genus Spizella, are small and slim with relatively long notched tails. They have rather plainly marked gray heads, with narrow white-eyerings, rufous crowns, and a rufous line extending behind the eye. The bill is short, sharply coned shaped, and pink.

The breast and belly of adults are unmarked save for a rusty smudge near the bend of the wing. The Field Sparrow’s back is buff with black stripes. The wings show two white wing bars.

The Field Sparrow is most easily confused with the Tree Sparrow. But the Tree Sparrow is distinguished by the presence of a dark spot on the breast and by a two-tone bill, black over yellow.

You might confuse the Field Sparrow with the Chipping Sparrow. Keep in mind that the Chipping Sparrow has a more boldly patterned face with a black stripe through the eye, and less rufous coloring.


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