Grasshopper Sparrow
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| Grasshopper Sparrow | ||||||||||||||
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| Ammodramus savannarum (Gmelin,, 1789) |
The Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum, is a small sparrow.
Adults have upperparts streaked with brown, grey, black and white; they have a light brown breast, a white belly and a short brown tail. Their face is light brown with an eye ring and a dark brown crown with a central narrow light stripe. There are regional variations in the appearance of this bird.
Their breeding habitat is open fields and prairie across southern Canada and the United States. The nest is a well-concealed open cup on the ground under vegetation.
These birds migrate to the southern United States, Mexico and Central America.
They forage on the ground in vegetation, mainly eating insects, especially grasshoppers, and seeds.
This bird's song is a buzz resembling the sound made by a grasshopper. Like many grassland birds, this bird's numbers have declined across many parts of its range.