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Baird's Sparrow

Ammodramus bairdiiOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Baird's Sparrow Portrait
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General

Baird's Sparrow: Small sparrow with pale-streaked, rich dark brown upperparts, white underparts, and dark streaks on upper breast and flanks. Orange-brown crown is marked with fine dark lines. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has scaled appearance.

Range and Habitat

Baird's Sparrow: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to Montana and Minnesota. Spends winters in Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Commonly found in dry upland prairies.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"zip-zip-zip-zr-r-rrrrrrrrrrr"

Interesting Facts

  • John James Audubon collected the first specimens of Baird's Sparrow in 1843 in North Dakota. The species was not recorded again for 29 years.
  • They like open areas with a mix of native prairie grass blended with forbs. They are usually more abundant two to three years after a fire. As shrubs grow back, their numbers decline again.
  • These birds are partially nomadic, with breeding populations shifting dramatically among locations from year to year. This tendency probably evolved in response to the effects of drought, fire, and movements of bison herds over the prairie.
  • A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "meinie", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Baird's Sparrow
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Family
Species Ammodramus bairdii
Length5.5 Inches
Wingspan8.5 Inches

Baird's Sparrow

Baird's Sparrow: Small sparrow with pale-streaked, rich dark brown upperparts, white underparts, and dark streaks on upper breast and flanks. Orange-brown crown is marked with fine dark lines. Legs and feet are pink-brown. Short low flights, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "zip-zip-zip-zr-r-rrrrrrrrrrr"

● Foraging & Feeding: Baird's Sparrow: Diet consists of seeds, insects, and spiders; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Baird's Sparrow: Three to six white to gray eggs, marked with lavender and red brown, are laid in a cup of weed stems and grass, and concealed in grass or weeds on the ground. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Baird's Sparrow: Vesper and Song sparrows have rounder heads, longer tails, and lack yellow on face. Savannah Sparrow has smaller head and bill, more extensive streaks below and yellow on face confined to behind eyes.

Flight Pattern

Short flights.
Baird's Sparrow Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Baird's Sparrow: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to Montana and Minnesota. Spends winters in Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Commonly found in dry upland prairies.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationUncommon and local
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.8 Ounces