Henslow's Sparrow
Male Henslow’s Sparrows are tireless singers—they are known to sing both day and night after arriving on their spring breeding territories, and will even continue singing through rain.

Before the pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, Henslow’s sparrow bred and lived on the prairies that extended from Illinois to Kansas and Nebraska. As American colonists spread west and changed prairies to farmland, the sparrow was forced to adapt to hayfields and pastures, and expanded its range to the east and north.

But as America changed, so too did the landscape. The eastern grasslands cultivated in “simpler” times were converted to more intensively worked agriculture. And there are few remaining tall-grass prairies since the Midwest has become the grain belt of our country. The Henslow’s Sparrow hasn’t adapted well. In fact, the sparrows have declined so much over most of their range that they are considered threatened.
Henslow's Sparrow Range Map

The jury is still out on what Henslow’s Sparrow requires from its habit, but we know they need large areas of tall dense grass and weeds without extensive woody growth. They prefer a well-developed layer of litter and extensive standing dead vegetation. This keeps the grass from growing too thick and gives them plenty of material for nesting and foraging. Small trees and shrubs are tolerated if well-scattered, and in fact may even be used as singing posts. But too many woody plants degrade the habitat in the eyes of the Henslow’s Sparrow. One final note, some studies suggest the sparrows prefer moist grasslands, but they'll use drier sites too.

Grasslands vary from year to year in their suitability as habitat for Henslow’s Sparrow because of succession, mowing or burning. With such specific habitat needs, Henslow’s Sparrows may suddenly disappear from what appears to be good habitat or show up unexpectedly in new locations.

Henslow’s Sparrows appear to nest in loose colonies of between 2 to 3 or 40 to 50 pairs, although nests may appear clustered because of the patchy occurrence of suitable habitat. Males give a very short explosive two-note song from the ground or exposed perches at all hours—even through the night. The song sounds like tsi-lick with an accent on the second syllable, and although it carries well, it may easily be overlooked or mistaken for an insect’s call.

Henslow's Sparrows are rarely observed flying very far and nesting females are rarely observed flying at all, preferring to slip off of the nest and run away on foot. Males may be seen flying from weed to weed in low jerky flight with a characteristic twist tail twist. The female builds the nest and incubates the pale greenish or creamy white, brown speckled eggs. Both parents feed the young.

After a short migration, winters are spent along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts at the edges of marshes or in grassy areas within open-pine woods. In winter Henslow's Sparrows are even more secretive and difficult to observe than during the rest of the year.

Description:
Henslow’s Sparrows are an attractive and distinctively plumaged sparrow. They are small sparrows with short tails and appear large-billed and flat-headed. The head and neck are greenish olive, contrasting markedly with the bright rufous coloring of the wings and scapular feathers. The breast is buffy with black streaks that extend down the flanks. A greenish-olive central crown stripe is bordered by thick black stripes and a white ring surrounds the eye.


Visit Shaw Creek Bird Supply and see our selection of Bird Houses, Bird Feeders, Hummingbird Feeders & Heated Bird Baths .

Copyright © 2003 Shaw Creek Bird Supply