Bird name:

Bachman's Sparrow

Aimophila aestivalis

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

BACS

Code 6

AIMAES

ITIS

179386

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Grassland with scattered trees, Forest

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grasses and forbs., Lined with plant down, grasses, and hair.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Bachman's Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with brown-streaked gray upperparts and buff underparts except for white belly. Face is gray with brown crown and a thin, dark line extending back from eye. Tail is long, dark, and round-tipped. Upper mandible is dark. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is buff and streaked underneath.

Range and Habitat

Bachman's Sparrow: Breeds in southeastern U.S. north to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, but only very locally. Spends winters chiefly in southern Atlantic and Gulf coast states. Inhabits dry open pine or oak woods with a scattering of scrub; also frequents overgrown weedy fields and pastures.

Breeding and Nesting

Bachman's Sparrow: Three to five white eggs are laid in a domed nest with a side entrance, made of grass and forbs, and lined with plant down, grass, and hair. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Bachman's Sparrow: Eats mostly insects, but also snails, seeds, and spiders; forages on the ground.

Readily Eats

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

Vocalization

Bachman's Sparrow: Song is a clear, sweet whistle followed by a trill on a different pitch. Call is a snakelike hiss.

Similar Species

Bachman's Sparrow: Field Sparrow is smaller, with smaller pink bill, gray head, brown crown, brown ear patch, white eye-ring, and gray underparts with buff wash.

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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.

Underparts

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

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Upper mandible

The upper part of the bill.

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