Henslow's Sparrow

Ammodramus henslowiiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: HESP Scientific Name: AMMHEN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179340

Breeding Location:

Grasslands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Large colonies

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

Creamy white to pale green with red brown markings

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

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

Migration:

Migratory

General

Henslow's Sparrow: Small sparrow with black-streaked brown upperparts. Breast, sides, and flanks are dark-streaked pale buff; throat and belly are white. Head is olive-brown. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is paler, washed buff-brown and has fewer streaks on underparts.

Range and Habitat

Henslow's Sparrow: Breeds locally from Minnesota, southern Ontario, and central New York (rarely New England) south to Kansas, Illinois, and North Carolina. Spends winters in Gulf coast states and along Atlantic coast to South Carolina. Inhabits moist or dry grasslands with scattered weeds and small shrubs.

Breeding and Nesting

Henslow's Sparrow: Three to five creamy white to pale green eggs marked with red brown are laid in a nest woven from grass and forbs, usually built on the ground in a slight hollow or sheltered by a grassy clump or weeds. Eggs are incubated for 11 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Henslow's Sparrow: Eats insects, caterpillars, and seeds; forages on the ground around vegetation.

Readily Eats

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

Vocalization

Henslow's Sparrow: Song is "flee-LICK", like an explosive bird hiccup, with emphasis on the second note. Call is a thin, high "tsip."

Similar Species

Henslow's Sparrow: Grasshopper Sparrow has a brown to buff head, pale central crown stripe, dark stripe behind the eye, and buff wash on unstreaked, white underparts.

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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.

Henslow's Sparrow

Henslow's Sparrow: Small sparrow, black-streaked brown upperparts. Breast, sides, and flanks are dark-streaked pale buff; throat and belly are white. Head is olive-brown with dark lines. Weak fluttering flight with tail jerking, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "flee-LICK", "tsip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Henslow's Sparrow: Eats insects, caterpillars, and seeds; forages on the ground around vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: Henslow's Sparrow: Three to five creamy white to pale green eggs marked with red brown are laid in a nest woven from grass and forbs, usually built on the ground in a slight hollow or sheltered by a grassy clump or weeds. Eggs are incubated for 11 days by the female.

● Similar species: Henslow's Sparrow: Grasshopper Sparrow has a brown to buff head, pale central crown stripe, dark stripe behind the eye, and buff wash on unstreaked, white underparts.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides., Weak fluttering flight with jerking of tail, low over vegetation.

Henslow's Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Henslow's Sparrow: Breeds locally from Minnesota, southern Ontario, and central New York (rarely New England) south to Kansas, Illinois, and North Carolina. Spends winters in Gulf coast states and along Atlantic coast to South Carolina. Inhabits moist or dry grasslands with scattered weeds and small shrubs.

^BreedingMonogamous, Large colonies

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.5 Ounces

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.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

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