Chipping Sparrow

This tame little sparrow with a rusty cap is the most domestic of all North American sparrows and is a common bird across most of the continent. Three subspecies of Chipping Sparrow north of Mexico are generally recognized: S.p.passerina, S.p.arizonae, and S.p.boreophila. Breeding takes place in most of North America excluding the far north and southeast US. The winter range extends from the central southwest states, parts of Florida and Mexico.

Adult Male (spring/summer)

Bright chestnut crown with small black on forehead; distinct white supercilium and black eyeline extending from the bill through the eye to the ear; gray nape and cheek; submoustachial stripe white; back is brown with dark brown streaking; two white wing bars; gray chin and breast and gray unstreaked rump. The tail is long and notched.

Adult Female

Sexes are similar

Juvenile

The crown usually lacks rufous; facial  plumage not as defined as adult; rump may  show slight streaking and breast and flanks  heavily streaked.

General:

Small, slim sparrow with rusty cap.
Length: 12-14cm. Wing: 62-77mm. Weight: 10.5-14.6 grams.

Behaviour:

In spring and summer males sing persistently from a tree. They feed both in trees and on the ground taking seeds and insects. In migration they are often found in rather large, loose flocks feeding in mowed grass.
Their flight is fairly strong, fast, and direct.

Habitat:

The Chipping Sparrow is characteristically found in fairly dry open woodlands or woodland edges with grassy understory, parks and other urban settings and orchards. They also occur in coniferous, mixed or deciduous woods.

Information:

The Chipping Sparrow derives its name from its chipping call notes and dry chipping trill. It has a ‘dawn song’, given from the ground, which consists of a series of short trills, lasting less than 1 second each.

At the turn of the 20th century it was commonly referred to as the “hairbird” from its practice of lining its nest with horsehair. It now uses the hair of numerous animals. The nest is placed in a bush or tree, commonly a conifer, often in an open grassy area, from 1 to 19 meters high, and rarely on the ground. It is a neatly woven cup. Usually 3 to 5 eggs, light blue, sparsely spotted with brown, blackish, or sometimes lavender or rarely without spotting.

Similar species:

American Tree Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow.

Conservation Status:

Still common, the species is not as common as it was in colonial times. Not a bird of deep woodlands, the Chipping Sparrow doubtless benefited from the clearing of the eastern deciduous forests. There is a possible decline where forest is regenerating.

Capture Rates

Although Chipping Sparrow has a wide breeding range, it gravitates towards evergreens in places where this habitat is available as is the case at Colony Farm. They are therefore not extremely common in the old fields at the banding station. Shortly after breeding, Chipping Sparrow disperse to areas with better resources to molt as suggested by the peak capture rate in August. They are short distance migrants, moving south for the winter.

Molt Summary:

PF: HY partial-incomplete. PB: AHY complete; PA limited (head feathers).

Preformative includes all med and gr covs, usually 1-3 terts, occasionally s6, and sometimes 1-2 central rects (R1).

Juveniles lack rufous in the crown and have distinct streaking on the breast, throat and flanks.