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Sparrows are small brownish birds that may seem impossible to distinguish to a beginning bird watcher. But by observing head and breast patterns, habitats, and season of occurrence, sparrow identification is relatively easy. They are ground-feeding seed eaters. Sexes are basically the same.
The field sparrow is a common songbird. However, long-term data indicate the population has declined 3.5 percent per year in Ohio since 1966. It has declined in western Ohio because of clean farming practices and in eastern Ohio because of maturing forests.
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Field Sparrow
Spizella pusilla
At-a-Glance
• Incubation: 10-17 days
• Clutch Size: 3-5 eggs
• Young Fledge: 7-8 days after hatching
• Typical Foods: seeds and insects
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Description
The field sparrow is a brownish sparrow ith a plain buffy breast and a rusty red cap, but no other distinct markings. The bill, however, is very different. It is pink while most other birds have dark bills.
Habitat and Habits
Field sparrows occupy a wide variety of brushy successional habitats. They frequent abandoned fields and cutover hillsides where herbaceous vegetation is interspersed with brushy tangles and scattered saplings. They have a very sweet, melodic quality to their songs, and the trill speeds up at the end. The song sounds much like a ping-pong ball that is dropped and bounces to a stop.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Nest construction is initiated during the second half of April and continues into May. The nest consists of a woven cup of grass and rootlets and is usually on the ground hidden in a clump of grass or weeds. The four eggs are greenish with brown spots. Most first clutches are produced by mid-May and broods fledge in mid-June. Most pairs are double-brooded, and some pairs in the southern Ohio counties could raise three broods annually. |
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