When you feed songbirds during the winter months sparrows are likely to come in droves.
The little brown and tan birds are seed eaters and they relish the small seeds commonly found in wild bird mixes — black oil sunflower seeds, millet, and milo.
They will feed on hanging feeders, trays laid on the ground where seeds are piled up, or on the ground where seeds have spilled under hanging feeders.
The Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is one of five species of sparrows most likely to be observed at backyard feeders in central Kentucky. They are year-round residents in Kentucky, and probably the most widespread nesting sparrow in the state, but not numerous in predominately forested areas.
A member of family Passerellidae, this small sparrow is less than 6 inches long, weighs about an ounce, and has a wingspan of about 2.5 inches.
Males and females have a similar appearance with males being slightly larger than the females.
Adults have brown chests, a buff-colored breast, a white belly, two whitish wing bars and a dark-brown forked tail. They have a grey face, a rusty crown, a white eye ring and a pink bill. There’s often a rust-colored marking behind the eye. Their song is a series of soft, mournful notes, all on the same pitch, accelerating to a trill at the end.
Preferred habitat is pastures with brush, overgrown fields, and second growth woodland edges.
Found primarily east of the Mississippi River, the range of the Field Sparrow extends westward into the Great Plains, from the Dakotas, south to Texas. In winter, Field Sparrows gather in small flocks, and northern populations typically migrate to states in the southern U.S.
Their diet is seeds and insects, mostly seeds in winter and mostly insects in summer. Nestlings are fed spiders and insects, especially caterpillars, with grasshoppers fed to larger young.
The male defends their nesting territory by singing persistently.
They nest in Kentucky, from mid-April to mid-August, often on the ground, or in briars, shrubs or small trees.
Early nests are generally on or near ground, later nests often higher. The nest is open cup woven of grasses, lined with finer plant material and hair. The female builds the nest, although the male may bring nest material.
The female lays 3 to 5 whitish to pale bluish eggs, with brownish spots often concentrated at its larger end. Incubation is by female only for 10 to 12 days, longer during a cold spring.
Nests parasitized by Brown-Headed Cowbirds are often deserted.
Both parents feed the young. The female may begin a second nesting attempt, leaving male to finish rearing their first brood. If disturbed, the young may leave nest as early as five days after hatching.
Adults with young may put on a “broken-wing” act at approach of danger.
The young remain in low vegetation near nest site for several days, and are able to fly at age 13 to 14 days. The parents continue to feed the young for about another two weeks.
Sparrows are busy, social feeders, a lot of fun to watch at the feeder. It’s often hard to tell the many species apart, especially in low light.
