Geographic range and origin: Song Sparrows are capable of living in nearly any kind of environment to arctic grasslands to desert scrubs. Song Sparrow travels medium distances for migration. The birds that live all the way in Alaska and Northern Canada travel all the way down to Northern Mexico.
Habitat: The Song Sparrow lives in a large range of open environments such as open fields or pine forests.
Description: Song Sparrow's have a length of 12-17 cm and a wingspan of 18-24 cm. They have a range weight of 12-53g. Song Sparrows have a streaky brown back with some black specks on the front. They have a grayish white underside.
Male Adult (Eastern)
Female Adult
Reproduction: When Song Sparrows court each other by flying together fluttering their wings with their tail perked up and legs dangling. Most Song Sparrows are monogamous but about 20% of mates sire multiple times when they are young. The Clutch size for Song Sparrows 1-6 eggs. The incubation period of 12-15 days and a nesting period of 9-12 days.
The newborn chicks hatch naked with a light blackish down covering.
Eggs of Song Sparrows can have a vary in color like blue, blue-green, or gray-green spotted with brown, red-brown, or lilac.
Conservation status: Due to increasing habitat fragmentation and loss some local populations have become vulnerable. This is particularly prevalent in coastal marsh areas. However, song sparrows are considered a cosmopolitan species in North America because they are extremely widespread and abundant.
Ecological importance: Like any bird the importance for the species is the fact that they eat seeds and fruits which help spread seeds and help the plants grow. They are also a key representation of how the ecosystem is doing. They are not a durable species and due things like forest fires they have disappeared from islands of south California. Monitoring their appearance and disappearance we can see things like which environments are safer for their species and identify what are possible threats for their species and their ecosystem.
Cultural importance or uses: Song Sparrow's look different depending on the area that they live in. Song Sparrows are all of the United States of America and they look different depending on the environment, if it is a desert or artic area. So they are a good indicator of what the weather and environment is in their habitat. Many people look to the birds to determine what the weather or season is like out side or in other areas.
Wingfield, J, Soma, K. Oxford Academic. Integrative and Comparative Biology Vol-42. Issue-1.: "Spring and Autumn Territoriality in Song Sparrows: Same Behavior, Different Mechanisms?" Url: https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/42/1/11/559897