Lincoln's Sparrow Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  The Lincoln's Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow with a dainty appearance. It has a rounded belly and head, but the back of its head often looks pointed or crested when it raises its crown feathers. Its tail is relatively short and its conical bill is a bit thinner compared to most other sparrows.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Wilson's Warbler, smaller than a Song Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)
    • Weight: 0.6-0.7 oz (17-19 g)
    • Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)

  © Larry Therrien / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  The Lincoln's Sparrow is streaky brown, buffy, and gray overall with rusty edges to its wings and tail. Its chest and sides are rich buff with fine black streaking that fades into a white belly. Its face is marked by a buffy mustache stripe that is bordered by thin brown lines. A buffy eyering, a thick gray eyebrow, and a dark eyeline mark the area around the eye. Its crown is striped brown and black with a gray central crown stripe.

• Behavior

  Lincoln's Sparrows are secretive little birds that forage on or near the ground, rarely straying far from dense cover. During the breeding season, males sing either from exposed perches or tucked inside a shrub.
• Habitat

  These sparrows breed in wet meadows filled with willows, alders, and sedges. They also breed in patches of aspens, cottonwoods, and willows as well as shrubby areas near streams. During migration Lincoln's Sparrows use brushy fields, forest edges, and thickets. In winter, they use tropical forests, pine-oak forests, tropical scrub, weedy pastures, and shrubby fields.