Harris’s Sparrow

(Zonotrichia querula)

Conservation Status
Harris’s Sparrow
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

N5N - Secure Nonbreeding

SNRN - Unranked Nonbreeding

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Size

 
 

6¾ to 8 in length

10½ wingspan

 
     
 

Voice

 
   
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Forest edges, riparian thickets, brushy roadsides

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Migration

 
 

Late March to early June and mid-September to late November

 
     
 

Nesting

 
 

 

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common to locally abundant migrant

 
         
 

Maps

 
 

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Aves (birds)  
 

Order

Passeriformes (perching birds)  
 

Family

Passerellidae (New World sparrows)  
 

Genus

Zonotrichia (crowned 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

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this bird.

 
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Kim Firkus

 
 

This Harris sparrow was spotted on May 13 2022 in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

 
    Harris’s Sparrow      
 

Gregory Gilman

 
    Harris’s Sparrow      
 

Heidi Wahl

 
 

backyard, we live in the country with a small pond. He was near the bird feeders in the tree. He was low to the ground.

 
    Harris’s Sparrow      
 

Bill Reynolds

 
    Harris’s Sparrow      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
    Harris’s Sparrow      

 

Camera

 

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Harris's Sparrow
Allen Chartier
 
  Harris's Sparrow  
  Harris's Sparrow
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
 
  Harris's Sparrow  
  Harris's Sparrow
JMC Nature Photos
 
  Harris's Sparrow  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this bird.

 
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Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Harris' Sparrow (Emberizidae: Zonotrichia querula) Feeding
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Oct 13, 2009

Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (12 October 2009).

   
  Harris's Sparrow up close and personal
Matt Wetrich
 
   
 
About

Published on May 3, 2013

This up close video of a Harris's Sparrow shows the Vibration Reduction (VR) technology at work in the Nikon 85mm EDG VR Fieldscope. The first 15 seconds are without VR on and then you can see how much more stable the shot is after turned on. Cool stuff! I shot this with a Nikon D7100 attached to the scope with the FSA-L2 DSLR adapter. Towards the end of the video the bird got TOO close to focus on!

   
  Harris's Sparrow
MacaulayLibrary
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Sep 12, 2011

Larry R. Arbanas, Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

ML Video 44546

http://macaulaylibrary.org/video/44546

   
  Harris's Sparrow
cfields7
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Mar 10, 2008

Harris's Sparrow at Chicago Botanic Gardens

   
  Harris's Sparrow video - March 27, 2012
dianab97330
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 27, 2012

No description available.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this bird.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Kim Firkus
5/13/2020

Location: Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

This Harris sparrow was spotted on May 13 2022 in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

Harris's Sparrow  
  Heidi Wahl
5/5/2020

Location: Richville MN

backyard, we live in the country with a small pond. He was near the bird feeders in the tree. He was low to the ground. 

Harris's Sparrow  
  maxnizzy
5/10/2018

Location: Detroit Lakes MN

2 eating on the ground under our bird feeders

   
  Gregory Gilman
1/19/2011

Location: Rochester, MN

Harris's Sparrow  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Burnsville, MN

Des Moines River SNA

Lakeville, MN

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

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