Species
Vesper sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
A grey-brown sparrow with white outer tail feathers, singing its evening song in open fields.
Photo Jimmy Dee (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 13 to 16 cm long
- Weight
- About 20 to 28 g
- Habitat
- Open fields and farmland
- Diet
- Seeds and insects
- In Georgia
- An uncommon winter visitor
- Voice
- Two clear notes followed by trills
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Grey-brown and streaked; white eye-ring; white outer tail feathers; small rusty shoulder patch
- Told apart from
- Savannah sparrow, which has a yellow eyebrow and no white in the tail
- Where to look
- Bare fields in winter
Behaviour
Vesper sparrows feed on the ground in open fields and flash white tail feathers when flushed.
Why they matter
The name "vesper" refers to its evening singing. It has declined as farming practices removed weedy field edges.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on the ground in fields
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 11 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Weedy field edges support wintering vesper sparrows.
Misconceptions
- Sparrows are all the same. The vesper sparrow's white tail feathers set it apart.
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.
| 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 | Leaving | Nesting farther north | Nesting | Nesting | Young fledging | Present in the north | Migrating | Arriving | Wintering | Wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 76 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasin winter
- California
- Coloradobreeding
- Connecticutin winter
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Idahobreeding
- Illinoisbreeding
- Indianabreeding
- Iowabreeding
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckyin winter
- Louisianain winter
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusetts
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouripassing through
- Montanabreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- Nevadabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseyin winter
- New Mexico
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinain winter
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiobreeding
- Oklahomain winter
- Oregonbreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- South Carolinain winter
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseein winter
- Texasin winter
- Utahbreeding
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginia
- Washingtonbreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
- Wyomingbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientesin winter
- Baja Californiain winter
- Chihuahuain winter
- Coahuilain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Tlaxcalain winter
- Zacatecasin winter
If you found one
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