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Bird name:

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolniiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Codes: Common Name: LISP Scientific Name: MELLIN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179484

Breeding Location:

Forest, Wetlands, Meadows, shrubby



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common



Egg Color:

Pale green with red brown markings



Number of Eggs:

3 - 6



Incubation Days:

12 - 14



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Lined with plant material., Grasses



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

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Attracting Clingers

General

Lincoln's Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with dark-streaked, pale brown upperparts and white underparts with dark streaks. Head has brown crown with gray central stripe, broad gray eyebrows and nape, pale eye-ring, and brown streak extending behind eye. Upper mandible is dark, lower mandible is pale orange-brown. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Lincoln's Sparrow: Breeds across portions of Alaska and Canada, south to southwestern U.S., central Minnesota, and New England. Spends winters from southern U.S., south to Honduras. Found in shrubby meadows, shoreline forests, bog edges, and wetlands with tall vegetation.

Breeding and Nesting

Lincoln's Sparrow: Three to six pale green eggs with red brown markings are laid in a cup-shaped nest woven from dry grass, lined with fine plant materials and hair, and built on the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Lincoln's Sparrow: Feeds on insects and seeds; scratches at the ground while foraging.

Readily Eats

Safflower, Apple Slices, Suet, Millet, Peanut Kernels, Fruit

Vocalization

Lincoln's Sparrow: Song is a series of trilling notes that start with low passages, rise abruptly, then drops- "chur-chur-chur-wee-wee-wee-wee-wah." Call is a sharp "zee."

Similar Species

Lincoln's Sparrow: Song Sparrow has heavier breast streaks and white jaw line.

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Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Melospiza lincolnii
Length5.25 - 6 Inches
Wingspan8 Inches

Lincoln's Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow: Medium sparrow, dark-streaked pale brown upperparts, white underparts with dark streaks. Head has brown crown with gray central stripe, broad gray eyebrows and nape, pale eye-ring, and brown streak extending behind eye. Upper mandible is dark, lower mandible is pale orange-brown.

● Song: "chur-chur-chur-wee-wee-wee-wee-wah", "zee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Lincoln's Sparrow: Feeds on insects and seeds; scratches at the ground while foraging.

● Breeding & nesting: Lincoln's Sparrow: Three to six pale green eggs with red brown markings are laid in a cup-shaped nest woven from dry grass, lined with fine plant materials and hair, and built on the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Lincoln's Sparrow: Song Sparrow has heavier breast streaks and white jaw line.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Lincoln's Sparrow Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Lincoln's Sparrow: Breeds across portions of Alaska and Canada, south to southwestern U.S., central Minnesota, and New England. Spends winters from southern U.S., south to Honduras. Found in shrubby meadows, shoreline forests, bog edges, and wetlands with tall vegetation.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationUncommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.8 Ounces
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CrownX
The crown is the top part of the birds head.
Lower mandibleX
The lower part of the bill.
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
Upper mandibleX
The upper part of the bill.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX