Species

Grasshopper sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

A small, flat-headed sparrow of grasslands whose song sounds like a grasshopper's buzz.

Photo Dan Vickers (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 13 cm long
Weight: About 14 to 20 g
Habitat: Grasslands, pastures and hayfields
Diet: Insects, especially grasshoppers, and seeds
In Georgia: An uncommon summer resident in the north; a winter visitor in the south
Voice: A thin, insect-like buzz "tik-tik-zzzzz"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Flat head; short tail; buffy breast with no streaks; yellow spot in front of the eye
Told apart from: Savannah sparrow, which is streaked below
Told apart from: Henslow's sparrow, which has an olive head and a streaked breast
Where to look: Grassy pastures and hayfields

Behaviour

Grasshopper sparrows run through grass like mice and sing from fence wires or tall stems.

Why they matter

Grasshopper sparrows have declined across North America as grasslands were ploughed or overgrown. They depend on pastures and hayfields managed to keep grass short and varied.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A domed cup on the ground in grass
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 9 days
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Delaying hay cutting until after July protects their nests.

Misconceptions

The buzzing in the grass is an insect. It may be this sparrow.

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	Wintering in the south	Wintering	Arriving in the north	Nesting	Nesting	Second broods	Young fledging	Present	Migrating	Arriving in the south	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 75 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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