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Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querulaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Harris's Sparrow Portrait
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General

Harris's Sparrow: Large sparrow with dark-streaked, brown upperparts and white underparts with dark-streaked sides. Head has stark black crown, face, and throat. Gray cheek patch is marked by a thin, black line. Bill is pink. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has buff-brown face and dark streaks on upper breast and sides.

Range and Habitat

Harris's Sparrow: Breeds in the mixed forest-tundra zones of north-central Canada, from the extreme northwestern reaches of the Northwest Territories to northern Ontario, along the shores of Hudson Bay. Spends winters in central U.S., from South Dakota to south Texas.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"spink", "tseep"

Interesting Facts

 The Harris’s sparrow is Canada's only endemic breeder.

 The common name of this species commemorates the American amateur ornithologist Edward Harris.

 A group of Harris's Sparrows are collectively known as a "poll" of sparrows.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Harris's Sparrow
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Zonotrichia querula
Length6.75 - 7.75 Inches
Wingspan11 Inches

Harris's Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow: Large sparrow with dark-streaked, brown upperparts and white underparts with dark-streaked sides. Head has stark black crown, face, and throat. Gray cheek patch is marked by a thin, black line. Bill is pink. Alternates rapid wing beats with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "spink", "tseep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Harris's Sparrow: Diet consists of seeds, berries, insects, spiders, and a few snails; forages primarily on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Harris's Sparrow: Three to five white to pale green eggs with brown markings are laid in a nest made from plant fibers and leaves, lined with grass, and built on the ground or at the base of a bush. Incubation ranges from 12 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Harris's Sparrow: White-crowned Sparrow has a black-and-white striped crown, mostly gray underparts, two white wing-bars, and a brown rump.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Harris's Sparrow Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Harris's Sparrow: Breeds in the mixed forest-tundra zones of north-central Canada, from the extreme northwestern reaches of the Northwest Territories to northern Ontario, along the shores of Hudson Bay. Spends winters in central U.S., from South Dakota to south Texas.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.4 Ounces