Baird’s Sparrow (BAIS)
Centronyx bairdii
Range
Baird’s Sparrows, when breeding, occupy only the northernmost tip of the Midwest, usually only being spotted in Montana, North Dakota, and a part of South Dakota. Their wintering grounds, however, are on the opposite side of the U.S., in the southern tips of Texas and Arizona, and leading down into Central Mexico. When breeding, Baird’s Sparrows stick to grasslands and prairies in the southern midwest.
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Identification
The Baird’s Sparrow is a stocky, rotund bird, with a shorter tail than most sparrows, and pale pink legs and bill. They have a warm complexion, with a light yellow throat that blends into a tan chest and belly. Their heads and the tops of their wings are a warm coppery brown, and dark brown streaks adorn the tops of their wings, necks, and cheeks. Juveniles have a very similar color palette and pattern, but commonly exhibit more or darker streaking, especially on their chest.
The Baird’s Sparrow is not sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females are visually identical, even in size. This bird is commonly spotted walking or hopping on the ground, foraging or hiding in shrubbery. The Baird’s Sparrow can be difficult to tell from other sparrows when in flight or when viewed from long distances.
Although the species is sometimes difficult to visually identify, its song is very distinctive; a descending trickle of notes ending in a trill. The song lasts an average of three seconds, but can be heard often in the Northern Great Plains. The call of a Baird’s Sparrow is a simple, high pitched, cut-off teep.
Habitat
Baird’s Sparrows breed in grasslands with minimum tree cover, low and sparse vegetation, and tall, native grasses. Due to a decrease in natural grasslands and prairies, these birds are sometimes spotted breeding in pastures or hayfields, but they do so only out of necessity.
Males can often be spotted in grasslands sitting on the tallest clump of grass or shrubbery in the area, singing for the females during mating. Like most grassland species, the Baird’s Sparrow thrives when the grass is taller than the vegetation, but prefers grass and weeds in tall-grass or mixed-grass prairies as opposed to short-grass prairies.
Conservation Status
- Listed as Decreasing by American Bird Conservancy
- Listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International
- Listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Listed as Apparently Secure by Nature Serve Explorer
- Listed as Vulnerable by New Mexico State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Listed as Vulnerable by Texas State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 38)
Threats to Conservation
The greatest threat to Baird’s Sparrows is habitat loss, or improper care of suitable grasslands. Many grassland birds require annual to semi-annual fires in native prairies in order to maintain the ideal ecosystem. Fires destroy invasive plants, shape vegetation, and refresh the soil, which are factors that birds like the Baird’s Sparrow heavily rely on. When grasslands are converted to croplands or fields for cattle grazing, even if those lands are still suitable for nesting and breeding, the prevention of fires by humans for many years starts to take a toll on the environment. When this happens, fewer birds choose to nest, thus affecting the population of vulnerable species.
Other notable threats to the Baird’s Sparrow are urbanization and development taking over their native grasslands, construction of roads too close to their nesting grounds, and overtaking of invasive plants.
When attempting to recreate a suitable habitat for these birds, the most important factors are annual controlled fires, rotational grazing schedules, and weeding out invasive plants to replace them with native grasses.
Funding Opportunities
- America the Beautiful Challenge
- Community Forest Program
- ConocoPhillips Partnership for Public and Private Land Managers
- Conservation Nation Grant Program
- Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- Hewlett Foundation- Western Conservation Grants
- Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program
- Natural Areas Research Grant
- Natural Legacy Program
- Nature Works
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant
- NFWF- America Restoration Grant
- Pacific Birds U.S. Partnership
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Sonoran Joint Venture Awards Program
- The Lawrence Foundation- Environmental Grants
- The Migratory Bird Program
- Tribal Wildlife Grants
- USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
- Western Habitat Grant Proposals
- Wildlife Conservation Grants for Species Conservation
- Wildlife Diversity Grant Program
- Wildlife Habitat Grant Program