1. Song Sparrows: The Little Birds Behind the
Name That Tune
Song Sparrows: The Little Birds Behind the
Big Music

2. Identifying Song Sparrows
Song Sparrows “pump” their tails up and down as they fly
Song Sparrows have fairly conspicuous brown spots in the centers of their chests

3. Haven’t I Seen You Before?
Song Sparrows are found in every state of the Union
Most wide-spread native sparrow
31 subspecies, more than any other North American bird species

4. Song Sparrow Fun Facts
Oldest known banded Song Sparrow was more than 11 years old
Song Sparrow pairs will live and nest in less than 2 acres and may raise up to 4 broods in a year

5. Song Sparrow Fun Facts 86% of winter diet is plant seeds
Average weight is less than an ounce, but can fluctuate up to 20% in 24 hours

6. Songs of the Song Sparrow
Sing throughout the year
Adult males perform between 6 to 20 different melodies
Songs can vary from 4 to 20 notes and last from 2 to more than 5 seconds

7. Songs of the Song Sparrow
During the dawn twilight, males will sing a song every 8 seconds and may average 2,300 songs in a day
Females are attracted to males that learn and sing a larger variety of songs

8. Backyard Behavior
Song Sparrows prefer to forage on the ground and favor millet seed
Select seeds based on abundance and easiest to open
Takes only a few seconds to husk seeds

9. Backyard Behavior
Aggressive around feeders and can dominate larger birds
Have been known to challenge as many as 5 House Sparrows at once
Rarely feed in flocks to avoid predators

10. Nesting Behavior
Song Sparrow nests are usually found under grassy tufts on the ground or in bushes or shrubbery
Females do most of the nest construction while males defend their territory

11. Nesting Behavior
Warmer temperatures and abundant food can trigger breeding to begin early
Song Sparrows with access to millet feeders nested and produced eggs 14 days earlier than those without access to feeders

12. Singing the Blues
Nest predators include deer mice, raccoons, minks, rats, snakes and domestic cats
Adults killed by foxes, and birds such as Cooper’s Hawks

13. Singing the Blues
Song Sparrows are probably parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird more often any other bird
Studies have shown that 44% of the Song Sparrow nests in Ohio and 85% of those in Ontario were cowbird victims