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Vesper Sparrow

Pooecetes gramineusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Breeding Location:

Grasslands



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common



Egg Color:

Creamy white or pale green with brown markings



Number of Eggs:

2 - 6



Incubation Days:

11 - 13



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

Grasses, weed stalks, and rootlets., Lined with fine grasses and animal hair.



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

Overview

Vesper Sparrow: Medium sparrow, black-streaked gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, and streaked breast and sides. White face has brown cheek patch and white eye-ring. Wings are gray-brown with two pale bars and rufous shoulder patches. Tail is notched and dark with white edges.

Range and Habitat

Vesper Sparrow: Breeds from British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia south to central California, Texas, Tennessee, and western North Carolina. Spends winters north to central California, Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Long Island. Found in cultivated fields, grasslands, and fallow fields with adjacent farmed areas.

Breeding and Nesting

Vesper Sparrow: Two to six creamy white or pale green eggs with brown markings are laid in a cup of grass, weed stalks, and rootlets, built in a scraped-out ground depression, and lined with fine grass and animal hair. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Vesper Sparrow: Feeds on insects during the summer, along with spiders and other small invertebrates. Eats mostly seeds in the winter; forages on the ground.

Readily Eats

Sunflower Seed, Commercial Mixed Bird Seed

Vocalization

Vesper Sparrow: Song consists of a pair of repeated notes "here-here where-where" followed by a series of descending trills. Call is a short "hsip."

Similar Species

Vesper Sparrow: Savannah Sparrow has shorter tail, yellow behind eye, pale central crown stripe, and lacks rust-brown shoulder and eye-ring.

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Family
Species Pooecetes gramineus
Length5.5 - 6.75 Inches
Wingspan10.625 Inches

Vesper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow: Medium sparrow, black-streaked gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, and streaked breast and sides. White face has brown cheek patch and white eye-ring. Wings are gray-brown with two pale bars and rufous shoulder patches. Tail is notched and dark with white edges.

● Song: "here-here where-where", "hisp"

● Foraging & Feeding: Vesper Sparrow: Feeds on insects during the summer, along with spiders and other small invertebrates. Eats mostly seeds in the winter; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Vesper Sparrow: Two to six creamy white or pale green eggs with brown markings are laid in a cup of grass, weed stalks, and rootlets, built in a scraped-out ground depression, and lined with fine grass and animal hair. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Vesper Sparrow: Savannah Sparrow has shorter tail, yellow behind eye, pale central crown stripe, and lacks rust-brown shoulder and eye-ring.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Vesper Sparrow Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Vesper Sparrow: Breeds from British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia south to central California, Texas, Tennessee, and western North Carolina. Spends winters north to central California, Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Long Island. Found in cultivated fields, grasslands, and fallow fields with adjacent farmed areas.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationUncommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight1 Ounces