Harris's Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The striking Harris's Sparrow is rarely found far east or west of the middle of North America. It breeds along the edge of boreal forest and tundra in north-central Canada, and spends the winter in the very central region of the United States.

Description

• Large sparrow, small songbird.
• Black bib, forehead, crown, and nape.
• Bill pink.
• Underparts white with some streaks along sides.
• Back brown with black streaks.
• Two white wingbars.
• Tail long (for a sparrow).

• Size: 17-20 cm (7-8 in)
• Wingspan: 27 cm (11 in)
• Weight: 26-49 g (0.92-1.73 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar in plumage, males average blacker on throat in fall and winter.

Sound

Song one to three pure notes on one pitch; rarely given off breeding grounds. Call note a loud "tchip."

Conservation Status

Because of remote nesting area and preference for disturbed areas on wintering grounds, the Harris's Sparrow is unlikely to be negatively affected by human activities. Christmas Bird Count numbers appear stable.

Other Names

Bruant à face noire (French)

Cool Facts

• Because of its remote and restricted breeding grounds, the Harris's Sparrow was one of the last North American species to have its nest discovered. The first nest was found in 1931 at Churchill, Manitoba, by soon-to-be Cornellian George M. Sutton.

• The Harris's Sparrow is the only bird species that breeds in Canada and nowhere else in the world.

• In winter flocks, Harris's Sparrows maintain linear dominance hierarchies that determine access to food and roost sites. The most dominant birds are the oldest males, and they also have the largest bibs. If first winter birds have their feathers dyed black, creating an artificially large bib, they rise in the dominance hierarchy.

Sources used to construct this page:

Norment, C. J., and S. A. Shackleton. 1993. Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula). In The Birds of North America, No. 64 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.