The Song Sparrow

Common Name: Song Sparrow

Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia

Habitat: Look for Song Sparrows in nearly any open habitat, including marsh edges, overgrown fields, backyards, desert washes, and forest edges. Song Sparrows commonly visit bird feeders and build nests in residential areas.

Range: The Song Sparrow lives in the United States in its entirety. It lives in the Midwestern United States in Winter and early Spring.

Interesting Fact: The Song Sparrow is found throughout most of North America, but the birds of different areas can look surprisingly different. Song Sparrows of the Desert Southwest are pale, while those in the Pacific Northwest are dark and heavily streaked. Song Sparrows of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain are even darker, and they’re huge: one-third longer than the eastern birds, and weighing twice as much.

Source: Cornell, University (2009). Song Sparrow. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from All About Birds Web site: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id