Medium-sized sparrow with a fairly small bill and short tail. Crisply streaked breast and strong face pattern with yellowish stripe over the eye.
Eats larvae, spiders, grasshoppers, millipedes, and other insects. This individual is likely carrying food back to the nest to feed its nestlings.
Medium-sized sparrow with fairly small bill and short tail. The "Belding's" form breeds in saltmarshes of California and Baja California; it is darker, more heavily streaked, and has a thinner crown stripe than other forms.
Crisp brown streaks on white breast (may converge to form a spot). Strong face pattern with yellowish stripe over the eye.
Typically found in open habitats including grassland, saltmarsh, tundra, roadsides, agricultural areas, and beaches.
The "Ipswich" form breeds in coastal Nova Scotia and winters in coastal areas in northeastern North America. They are paler brown than other forms of Savannah Sparrow.
The dark, heavily streaked "Belding's" form with a thinner crown stripe occurs in saltmarshes of California and Baja California.
Medium-sized sparrow with short tail. "Large-billed" form occurs in northwestern Mexico and Baja California; note large, heavy bill and lack of yellow in the stripe over the eye.
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Savannah Sparrows are medium-sized sparrows with short, notched tails. The head appears small for the plump body, and the crown feathers often flare up to give the bird’s head a small peak. The thick-based, seed-eating bill is small for a sparrow.
About the size of a Song Sparrow.
sparrow-sized or smallerThe many subspecies of Savannah Sparrow can range from pale gray-brown to rusty overall. “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows, which breed on islands in maritime Canada and winter along the East Coast, are large and pale gray-brown overall. “Belding’s” Savannah Sparrows from saltmarshes of Southern California and Mexico are darker with heavier streaking and a thinner crown stripe. The range-restricted “Large-billed” Savannah Sparrow of Mexico barely enters the United States in southern California; it has a much heavier bill than other forms of the species. All subspecies show thin, crisp streaking on the underparts and usually have yellow in front of the eye.
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