Vesper Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
At a Glance
A rather chunky sparrow of the open fields, known at all seasons by its streaked appearance and its white outer tail feathers. In summer, its clear musical song may be heard at any time of day; but the naturalist John Burroughs, feeling that it sang most impressively in the evening, gave it the name of Vesper Sparrow. Not as shy as many grassland sparrows, it can be observed rather easily. It is often found dust-bathing in bare soil of fields or dirt roads.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
New World Sparrows, Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Desert and Arid Habitats, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, High Mountains, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Running
Population
35.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Migrates relatively early in spring and late in fall, with peak migration in many areas during April and October.
Description
5-6 1/2" (13-17 cm). White outer tail feathers (hard to see until bird flies). Heavy dark outline of cheek patch, white eye-ring, narrow streaks on crown. Chestnut spot on shoulder is often hidden.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Brown, Gray, Red, White
Wing Shape
Broad
Tail Shape
Notched, Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Song a slow series of 4 clear musical notes, the last 2 higher, ending in a descending series of trills-sometimes rendered as come-come-where-where-all-together-down-the-hill.
Call Pattern
Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Trill, Whistle
Habitat
Meadows, fields, prairies, roadsides. At all seasons, favors open grassy or weedy fields, often in rather dry situations with much open soil. May be in weedy roadsides, gravel pits, high mountain grasslands, stubble fields, grassy areas just above sandy beaches. Often breeds where there are a few taller plants for use as song perches.
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Behavior
Eggs
3-4, sometimes 2-6. Whitish to pale greenish white, blotched with brown and gray. Incubation is mostly by female, about 11-13 days. When disturbed at the nest, the female may flutter away as if injured, perhaps to lure intruders away.
Young
Both parents feed the nestlings. Young leave the nest 1-2 weeks after hatching, usually around 9-10 days. 1-2 broods per year, sometimes 3.
Feeding Behavior
Forages mostly or entirely on the ground, often on bare soil between grass or weed clumps. Except during nesting season, often forages in small, loose flocks.
Diet
Mostly insects and seeds. Feeds on many insects, especially in summer, including beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, moths, true bugs, and many others, also spiders and other invertebrates. Also eats many seeds, especially in winter, mainly those of weeds and grasses.
Nesting
Male defends nesting territory by singing from a prominent raised perch. Courtship may involve male running about on ground near female, with his wings and tail spread, sometimes fluttering into the air. Nest site is on the ground, often in a slight depression and placed at the base of a grass clump, weed, or shrub. Nest is a bulky open cup made of grass and weeds, lined with fine grass, rootlets, animal hair.
Climate Vulnerability
Conservation Status
Has declined seriously in numbers in some parts of the East, probably owing to loss of habitat. In the West, still widespread and common.
Climate Threats Facing the Vesper Sparrow
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.