Species

Savannah sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

A streaky sparrow with a yellow eyebrow, common in Georgia's fields and marsh edges in winter.

Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 15 cm long
Weight: About 15 to 29 g
Habitat: Fields, pastures, dunes and marsh edges
Diet: Seeds and insects
In Georgia: A common winter visitor
Voice: A thin "tsip"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Streaked brown; yellow eyebrow; short, notched tail
Told apart from: Song sparrow, which has a longer tail and no yellow
Where to look: Open fields and coastal dunes in winter

Behaviour

Savannah sparrows feed on the ground in fields and flush in short, low flights.

Why they matter

Savannah sparrows are one of the most widespread North American sparrows, and a pale subspecies, the Ipswich sparrow, breeds only on Sable Island off Nova Scotia and winters on Atlantic dunes, including Georgia's.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup on the ground in grass
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Open fields and dunes left undisturbed in winter support them.

Misconceptions

All streaky sparrows are song sparrows. Savannah sparrows have a yellow eyebrow.

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	Wintering	Wintering	Leaving	Nesting in the north	Nesting	Young fledging	Present in the north	Migrating	Arriving	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 89 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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