Name That Tune

Song Sparrows: The Little Birds

Behind theBig Music

• Song Sparrows “pump” their tails up and down as they fly

• Song Sparrows have fairly conspicuous brown spots in the centers of their chests

IdentifyingSong Sparrows

• Song Sparrows are found in every state of the Union

• Most wide-spread native sparrow

• 31 subspecies, more than any other North American bird species

Haven’t I Seen You Before?

• Oldest known banded Song Sparrow was more than 11 years old

• Song Sparrow pairs will live and nest in less than 2 acres and may raise up to 4 broods in a year

Song SparrowFun Facts

• 86% of winter diet is plant seeds

• Average weight is less than an ounce, but can fluctuate up to 20% in 24 hours

Song SparrowFun Facts

• Sing throughout the year

• Adult males perform between 6 to 20 different melodies

• Songs can vary from 4 to 20 notes and last from 2 to more than 5 seconds

Songs of the Song Sparrow

• During the dawn twilight, males will sing a song every 8 seconds and may average 2,300 songs in a day

• Females are attracted to males that learn and sing a larger variety of songs

Songs of the Song Sparrow

• Song Sparrows prefer to forage on the ground and favor millet seed

• Select seeds based on abundance and easiest to open

• Takes only a few seconds to husk seeds

BackyardBehavior

• Aggressive around feeders and can dominate larger birds

• Have been known to challenge as many as 5 House Sparrows at once

• Rarely feed in flocks to avoid predators

BackyardBehavior

• Song Sparrow nests are usually found under grassy tufts on the ground or in bushes or shrubbery

• Females do most of the nest construction while males defend their territory

NestingBehavior

• Warmer temperatures and abundant food can trigger breeding to begin early

• Song Sparrows with access to millet feeders nested and produced eggs 14 days earlier than those without access to feeders

NestingBehavior

• Nest predators include deer mice, raccoons, minks, rats, snakes and domestic cats

• Adults killed by foxes, and birds such as Cooper’s Hawks

Singingthe Blues

• Song Sparrows are probably parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird more often any other bird

• Studies have shown that 44% of the Song Sparrow nests in Ohio and 85% of those in Ontario were cowbird victims

Singingthe Blues