Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)


Group	Sparrows
Code	ABPBX94020
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Emberizidae
Author	(Bechstein, 1798)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	SM (definitions)
Scale	S (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	all
Eastern UP	all
Northern LP	all
Southern LP	all

Rule:

Forested or Nonforested Landscapes

1st alternative:
      (Aspen (Regen))
      or (Paper Birch (Regen))
      or (Oak (Regen))
      or (Assorted Hardwoods (Regen))
      or Residential
   containing:
      Conifer Inclusions

2nd alternative:
      (Jack Pine (Regen))
      or (Red Pine (Regen))
      or (Conifer Plantations (Regen))
      or (Mixed Pine (Regen))
      or (Mixed Upland Hardwoods (Regen))
      or Grass
      or Upland Brush
      or Savanna

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	YES	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	YES	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	YES	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	YES	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	YES	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	YES	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	YES	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	YES	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	YES	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Grass, Upland Brush, Savanna, Residential
Special Features	Conifer Inclusions, Edges

view size class definitions

Literature:

Brewer, R. 1991. Chipping Sparrow. Pages 466-467 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: The Chipping Sparrow is a bird of savannas where the herb layer is short or sparse. It tends to favor needle-leafed trees for both singing and nesting. Probably dry pine and oak savannas were its main habitat in presettlement Michigan; some hint of the natural habitat to which it is adapted may be contained in the fact that its highest abundance on BBS routes nationwide was in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Today, residential areas and college campuses with their mowed lawns and ornamental spruces and pines probably constitute a habitat as thoroughly optimal as the species has ever found. In the Atlas Habitat Survey, about half of the 196 records were from residential areas. Another 20% were in dry forest or savanna, and most of the rest were scattered through orchards, old fields, and shrubby uplands.

The nest, which is built by the female alone, is small and compact. In our rural past, the Chipping Sparrow was known for lining the nest with horsehair and even today, the birds usually find some type of hair for the lining. The nest is usually placed in a needle-leafed or else a prickly broad-leafed tree or shrub, usually within 2 m of the ground but occasionally much higher.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Suburban residential areas, farms, orchards, open mixed woodlands, clearings in forests and woodland edges, borders of lakes and streams.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Open woods, conifers, orchards, farms, towns. Original breeding habitat probably was mainly open pine woods, coniferous forest edges, savannah with scattered conifers. Still breeds in such areas but now also very common in suburbs, city parks, orchards, pastures, other altered habitats.

Diet: Mostly insects and seeds. Diet varies with season. In summer, feeds mostly on insects, including grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers, and true bugs, plus some spiders. Also eats many seeds, especially in fall and winter, including those of grasses, weeds, some waste grain.

Nest: Site varies. Usually in a conifer, but can be in a deciduous tree or sometimes on the ground; usually lower than 15 feet above ground, but can be up to 60 feet or even higher. Nest is a compact open cup made of grass, weeds, rootlets, lined with grass and animal hair. Nest often parasitized by cowbirds.