Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 6.7–7.9 in
17–20 cm - Wingspan
- 10.6 in
27 cm - Weight
- 0.9–1.7 oz
26–49 g
Other Names
- Bruant à face noire (French)
Cool Facts
- Because of its remote and restricted breeding grounds, the Harris's Sparrow was one of the last North American species to have its nest discovered. The first nest was found in 1931 at Churchill, Manitoba, by soon-to-be Cornellian George M. Sutton.
- The Harris's Sparrow is the only bird species that breeds in Canada and nowhere else in the world.
- In winter flocks, Harris's Sparrows maintain linear dominance hierarchies that determine access to food and roost sites. The most dominant birds are the oldest males, and they also have the largest bibs. If first winter birds have their feathers dyed black, creating an artificially large bib, they rise in the dominance hierarchy.
Habitat
Forest
Breeds at edge of boreal forest and tundra. Winters along hedgerows, shelterbelts, agricultural fields, weed patches, and pastures.
Food
Seeds
Seeds, fruits, arthropods, and young conifer needles.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale green with irregular spots and blotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with sparse gray down.
Nest Description
Nest an open cup of mosses, small twigs, and lichens, lined with dried grass and often some caribou hair. Placed on ground, sunken into moss and lichens.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Feeds primarily on ground. Picks food from ground, and scratches some in litter with both feet. Comes to feeders.
Conservation
Least Concern
Because of remote nesting area and preference for disturbed areas on wintering grounds, the Harris's Sparrow is unlikely to be negatively affected by human activities. Christmas Bird Count numbers appear stable.
Credits
- Norment, C. J., and S. A. Shackleton. 1993. Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula). In The Birds of North America, No. 64 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.