Harris’s Sparrows are distinctive, with a black face and bib darker in adults than juveniles. They also have brown-streaked bodies, with pale bellies and pink bills.
Breeding adults have gray heads, but non-breeding adults have brown heads.
- Zonotrichia querula
- Length: 6.7-7.9 in (17-20 cm)
- Weight: 0.9-1.7 oz (26-49 g)
- Wingspan: 10.6 in (27 cm)
Range
Harris’s Sparrows breed in the northern tundra of central Canada and migrate to the south-central Great Plains for winter. They can be seen during migration across central US states and Canadian provinces.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Harris’s Sparrows out in the open during their migration or in winter in fields or other open areas. They eat seeds, fruit, insects, and especially crowberries in spring when nesting, and there is less food around.
Harris’s Sparrow Call/Song:
Nests
Nests of Harris’s Sparrows are on the ground and made from twigs and moss and lined with soft grass. They lay up to five eggs which take around two weeks to hatch and a further nine days or so for the young to leave the nest.
Attract Harris’s Sparrows
Attract them to your backyard in winter with black oil sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn.
Fun Fact:
Harris’s Sparrows are the only songbird that breeds in Canada and nowhere else.