Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: SAVS Scientific Name: PASSAN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179314

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Overview

Savannah Sparrow: Small sparrow, dark-streaked, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, heavy streaks on breast and sides. Head has a brown crown with pale central stripe and pale yellow or white eyebrows. Brown wings have two pale bars. Tail is short and notched. Pink legs and feet.

Range and Habitat

Savannah Sparrow: Breeds from Alaska east to Labrador and south to New Jersey, Missouri, and northern Mexico. Spends winters regularly north to southeastern Alaska and Massachusetts. Found in salt marshes, grasslands, tundra, mountain meadows, sandy regions, and short-grass prairies.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"zit-zit-zit-zeeee-zaaay", "seep"

Interesting Facts

Savannah Sparrows are able runners; once discovered, they drop into the grass and dart away.

The "Ipswich Savannah Sparrow," a subspecies that breeds on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, is nearly 50 percent heavier than most other subspecies. It was formerly considered a separate species.

It is named after Savannah, Georgia, where one of the first specimens of this bird was collected.

A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.

Bird Term Glossary

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Savannah Sparrow

● Song: "zit-zit-zit-zeeee-zaaay", "seep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Savannah Sparrow: Feeds on seeds, insects, spiders, and sometimes snails. Forages on the ground or in low bushes; scratches in dirt and foliage.

● Breeding & nesting: Savannah Sparrow: Two to six pale green blue or white eggs marked with brown are laid on the ground in a cup nest made of moss and dry grass, and lined with fine hair, fine grass, and roots. Incubation ranges from 10 to 13 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Savannah Sparrow: Song Sparrow has a longer, rounded tail without notch, underparts have heavier streaking, and lacks yellow in lores and supercilium. Vesper Sparrow has gray-brown streaking on upperparts, throat, breast, and sides; wing has chestnut patch at bend; white eye ring; brown ear patch.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

Savannah Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Savannah Sparrow: Breeds from Alaska east to Labrador and south to New Jersey, Missouri, and northern Mexico. Spends winters regularly north to southeastern Alaska and Massachusetts. Found in salt marshes, grasslands, tundra, mountain meadows, sandy regions, and short-grass prairies.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationAbundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America