Vesper Sparrow (VESP)
Pooecetes gramineus
Range
Vesper Sparrows breed throughout the Northern U.S. from California to Virginia and Southern Canada from Interior British Columbia to Nova Scotia. They migrate across the central United States to their wintering grounds in the Southern United States and Central America from California to Guatemala.
Additional Maps
Identification
Vesper Sparrows are small birds with a small bill and round head. All Vesper Sparrows regardless of maturity or sex have speckled white breasts, and flecked brown upperparts and wings. They have distinctive white eyerings and outer tail feathers as well as a rufus patch on the shoulder that is often difficult to observe in the field. Vesper Sparrows are early morning songsters, but they also tend to sing after sunset. Their song starts with 1-4 downslurred whistles followed by a rising and falling trill and ending with a buzzy jumble. Their calls consist of a sharp chirp.
Habitat
Vesper Sparrows breed in open areas with scattered shrubs and sparse grass. They are primarily found in fields, pastures, fencelines and roadsides, hayfields, and grasslands. They also breed in mountaintop meadows, grassy mesas, and sagebrush steppe. They occupy these habitats during migration and wintering season as well.
Conservation Status
- Listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Listed as Secure by NatureServe Explorer
Status by State
- Listed as Vulnerable by Alabama State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Listed as Endangered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015-2025 Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Massachusetts Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as a High Priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Fish and Wildlife Species of New York State
- Listed as Vulnerable by North Carolina State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 49)
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Rhode Island Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as High Priority by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife
Threats to Conservation
Vesper Sparrows have experienced a decline of 30% from 1970 to 2014. These declines stem from grassland and hedgegrove removal, an increase in mowing and haying, as well as earlier harvests. The species’ preference for grasslands allows them to benefit from agricultural expansion and deforestation. However, human activity such as commercial farming, nest disruption, or overgrazing make many of these areas inhospitable.
Funding Opportunities
- Ag Allies Grassland Collaborative
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
- America the Beautiful Challenge
- Carolina Bird Club Conservation Grants
- Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) Mini Grant
- Conservation Nation Grant Program
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program
- Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program
- MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant
- NFWF Grants Library
- North American Wetlands Conservation
- NRCS Wetland Mitigation Banking Program
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife Grant
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Texas State Wildlife Grants
- The Lawrence Foundation- Environmental Grants
- The Bobolink Project
- The Migratory Bird Program
- Tribal Wildlife Grants
- Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)