Minnesota Seasons - Grasshopper Sparrow

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy


Conservation Status
IUCN Red List	LC - Least Concern
NatureServe	N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding
Minnesota	not listed Species in Greatest Conservation Need

Photo by Earl Bye

Description

Size

5″ to 5½″ in length

7½″ wingspan

Voice

Similar Species

Habitat

Open grasslands with patches of bare ground

Ecology

Migration

Nesting

Food

Distribution

Occurrence

Uncommon migrant and breeder

Maps

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map


Taxonomy
Class	Aves (birds)
Order	Passeriformes (perching birds)
Family	Passerellidae (New World sparrows)
Genus	Ammodramus (grass sparrows)

New World sparrows were traditionally combined with buntings into the family Emberizidae. Recent phylogenetic analysis (Barker et al. 2013) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis (Klicka et al. 2014) found that the Old World buntings should be separated as a sister to New World sparrows. New World sparrows have been separated into a new family, Passerellidae.

Subordinate Taxa
Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) Eastern Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum pratensis) Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum beatriceae) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum borinquensis) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum caribaeus) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum caucae) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum cracens) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum intricatus) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum savannarum) Western Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum perpallidus)

Synonyms


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Earl Bye


MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

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Slideshows

Grasshopper Sparrow
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Grasshopper Sparrow
JMC Nature Photos

slideshow


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Other Videos

Grasshopper Sparrow singing
Stoil Ivanov

About

Published on May 19, 2013

Grasshopper Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum ) singing . Filmed in Nachusa Grasslands Illinois 5-19-2013.

Grasshopper Sparrow
MeopixMike

About

Published on May 30, 2013

description

Grasshopper Sparrow Portrait
ebirdr

About

Published on Jun 3, 2012

The Grasshopper Sparrow at one time was fairly common throughout the United States and Canada. It's range just enters southern Canada. Intensive farming practices are now reducing their numbers significantly. They are particularly difficult to find in their northern range with only a few hundred pairs, for example, know to breed in Quebec. Found in pastures, hayfields, grasslands, palmetto scrub, and weedy fallow fields. This video was shot from a pasture near Kirkfield Ontario. You may hear the Woodcock and cows in the background.

Adults usually have unstreaked buffy breast and sides but immatures are streaked on underparts. Dark crown with a light central stripe on a flat head. Tail is very short and sharp. Similar Le Conte's Sparrow has a buffy eyebrow stripe.

Its faint but distinctive song is a grasshopper-like buzz.

3008501 Grasshopper Sparrow
Rob Curtis

About

Published on Apr 13, 2014

Grashopper Sparrow singing

Grasshopper Sparrow chipping
John Scavetto

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Uploaded on Jun 11, 2011

Grasshopper Sparrow video , Grasshopper Sparrow Chipping

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