Species

Field sparrow

Spizella pusilla

A plain, pink-billed sparrow of old fields, whose song speeds up like a bouncing ball.

Photo Shiva Shenoy (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 12 to 15 cm long
Weight: About 11 to 15 g
Habitat: Old fields, shrubby edges and overgrown pastures
Diet: Seeds and insects
In Georgia: Common resident statewide
Voice: Clear whistles that speed up like a bouncing ball
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Pink bill; white eye-ring; rusty cap; plain buff breast
Told apart from: Chipping sparrow, which has a dark bill and black eye-line
Where to look: Old fields with scattered shrubs

Behaviour

Field sparrows nest low in shrubs and grass and sing from exposed perches.

Why they matter

Field sparrows have declined as old fields grew into forest or were developed. They need the shrubby, in-between habitat that is disappearing from many landscapes.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup on or near the ground in grass or shrubs
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 7 to 8 days
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Leaving parts of fields to grow shrubby supports them.

Misconceptions

Overgrown fields are useless. They are home to field sparrows and many other birds.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Winter flocks	Flocks	Singing	Nesting	Nesting	Second broods	Young fledging	Present	Present	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 41 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal