Baird’s Sparrows are medium-sized yellowish-brown birds. They are recognizable because of the narrow, brown streaks on their throats, very much like a necklace on their bodies.
Their heads also have a central dark brown stripe, and their backs have light and dark brown stripes. Their bellies are yellowish or white. Males and females look the same, but juveniles are paler in color.
- Centronyx bairdii
- Length: 14 cm (5.5 in)
- Weight: 23 g (0.8 oz)
- Wingspan: 22 cm (8.5 in)
Range
Baird’s Sparrows breed in the northern Great Plains and migrate south for winter to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Baird’s Sparrows in tall grass prairies or mixed grass prairies. Due to their diminishing habitats, they can now be found in ungrazed pastures, grasslands, and agricultural fields.
Baird’s Sparrows stay low and hidden on the ground when foraging for food. They usually walk or hop between clumps of grass to collect seeds and insects.
Baird’s Sparrow Song:
Nests
Nests of Baird’s Sparrows are usually built in shallow holes on the ground or hidden within clumps of grass. They are made of grass and weeds with soft materials lining the inside. There may be two to six eggs in a nest. The female incubates them for about twelve days.
Fun Fact:
Baird’s Sparrows continually shift their breeding regions from year to year in reaction to environmental hazards and roving bison herds.
