Chipping Sparrow
(Spizella passerina)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description
The crown is rust-colored but the eyeline is black.
Size
Total length: 5″ to 6″
Wingspan: 8½″
Voice
The song is a rapid trill lasting about 3.6 seconds consisting of about 55 nearly identical notes.
The call is a single chip note.
Similar Species
Habitat
Open conifers, woodland edges, yards, gardens.
Ecology
Migration
Late March to early November
Nesting
Food
Distribution
Occurrence
Common to locally abundant migrant and breeder
Maps
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map
Taxonomy
Class
Aves (Birds)
Order
Passeriformes (Perching Birds)
Family
Passerellidae (New World sparrows)
Genus
Spizella (Spizella sparrows)
Family
New World sparrows were traditionally combined with buntings into the family Emberizidae. Recent phylogenetic analysis (Barker et al. 2013) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis (Klicka et al. 2014) found that the Old World buntings should be separated as a sister to New World sparrows. New World sparrows have been separated into a new family, Passerellidae.
Genus
In 2011 all of the wood warblers were reclassified resulting in new genus names for almost all of them. The genus Dendroica, with 29 members, was merged with the genus Setophaga, with just 3 members. All of the former Dendroica species have been renamed to Setophaga.
Subordinate Taxa
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina atremaea)
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina mexicana)
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina pinetorum)
Eastern Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina passerina) 
Western Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina arizonae)
Synonyms
Photos
Visitor Photos
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Luciearl
Ramona Abrego |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Lynn Rubey |
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A Chipping Sparrow flittering from branch to branch in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
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Slideshows
Chipping Sparrow
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Chipping Sparrow
JMC Nature Photos
Chipping Sparrow
jt893x
Videos
Visitor Videos
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Other Videos
Chipping Sparrow (Emberizidae: Spizella passerina) Adult
Carl Barrentine
Parasitic cowbird with chipping sparrow "mother"
Gordon Harris
Chipping Sparrow Trilling
The Music of Nature
Chipping Sparrow Singing
WIld Bird Video Productions
Sightings
Visitor Sightings
Report a sighting of this insect.
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Be sure to include a location.
Luciearl
1/8/2026
Location: Cass County
cowbird fed by sparrow
Ramona Abrego
Location: Washington County
Alfredo Colon
9/28/2019
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota
Lynn Rubey
10/29/2018
Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
A Chipping Sparrow flittering from branch to branch in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge.