Song Sparrow

(Melospiza melodia)

Conservation Status
Song Sparrow
 
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNRB, SNRN - Unranked Breeding and Nonbreeding

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Size

 
 

5½ to 7 in length

8½ wingspan

 
     
 

Voice

 
   
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Shrubby areas, riparian thickets, forest openings, pastures

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Migration

 
 

Mid-March to late November

 
     
 

Nesting

 
 

 

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common 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

Melospiza (song sparrows)  
       
 

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.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Eastern group

Atlantic Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia atlantica)

Eastern Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia melodia)

Mountain Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia montana)

Northwestern group

Aleutian Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia sanaka)

Bischoff Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia insignis)

Giant Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia maxima)

Kenai Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia kenaiensis)

Mendocino Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia cleonensis)

Merrill’s Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia merrilli)

Rusty Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia morphna)

Sooty Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia rufina)

Yakutat Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia caurina)

Cismontane California group

Alameda Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia pusillula)

Heermann’s Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia heermani)

Marin Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia gouldii)

Santa Barbara Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia graminea)

San Pablo Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia samuelis)

Suisun Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia maxillaris)

Southwestern group

Brown's Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia rivularis)\

Goldman’s Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia goldmani)

Southwest Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia fallax)

Mexican Plateau group

Mexican Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia mexicana)

Rio Lerma Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia adusta)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia villai)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Fringilla melodia

Zonotrichia melodia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this bird.

 
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Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Mike Poeppe

 
    Song Sparrow      
 

Gerry Garcia

 
 

Normandale Lake Birdsong Today

...hiking Normandale Lake this morning, we came across this little one belting out a beautiful song for us - and the rest of the free world

Song Sparrow  
 

Margot Avey

 
    Song Sparrow      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
    Song Sparrow   Song Sparrow  
           
    Song Sparrow   Song Sparrow  

 

Camera

 

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Song Sparrow
Allen Chartier
 
  Song Sparrow  
  Song Sparrow
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
 
  Song Sparrow  
  Song Sparrow
JMC Nature Photos
 
  Song Sparrow  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this bird.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

Gerry Garcia

 
  Normandale Lake Birdsong Today
Published on Jul 10, 2019
 
   
 
About

...hiking Normandale Lake this morning, we came across this little one belting out a beautiful song for us - and the rest of the free world

   
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Song Sparrow
The Music of Nature
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Sep 17, 2010

The Music of Nature proudly presents "Song Sparrow," a video portrait featuring several singing Song Sparrows, gathered in the countryside around Ithaca, New York. Song Sparrows are winter residents here and their bright carols are often heard on cold, clear mornings in late winter. Males continue singing well into the summer months.

© 2010 Lang Elliott
musicofnature.org

   
  Song Sparrow Portrait
ebirdr
 
   
 
About

Published on Jun 12, 2012

The Song Sparrow is common throughout North America; more so in the east than west. It can be found in brushy thickets, gardens, streamsides, marshes, roadsides.

It has a white throat and whisker stripes on the face. The breast and side streaking converge into a large central spot. It has pink legs and feet. Its long rounded tail is pumped in flight.

The song is a series of notes starting with 2-3 bright "sweet sweet sweets". It may be represented as "pres pres pres Presbyterian".

   
  Song Sparrow Singing
Mike Schanbacher
 
   
 
About

Published on May 23, 2013

A Song Sparrow singing and calling from the top of a shrub. Woods Hole, MA - May 2013. Taken with a Canon t3i and a 55-250mm lens.

   
  Song Sparrows of Cliff Walk - Newport, Rhode Island
Clive Bramham
 
   
 
About

Published on Dec 20, 2013

Singing Song Sparrows along beautiful Cliff Walk overlooking the Atlantic coast in Newport, Rhode Island. These scenes are from the first week of June. There's a narrow strip of thick vegetation on one side of the path and the cliff on the other. This prime Breeding habitat is upheld and defended by some of the best singers around. The birds seem habituated to human presence on Cliff Walk, giving a golden opportunity for close-up filming.Birds shown (eastern Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia;Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis; Yellow Warbler, Dendroica petechia; Gray Catbird, Dumetalla carolinensis; American Herring Gull (first summer), Larus argentatus; Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus. Birds of North America playlist.

   
  Birds USA... Singing Song Sparrow
groenelantaarn
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 1, 2013

Singing Melospiza melodia

Romans acres, Peru, Indiana USA 06-08-2013

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this bird.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Mike Poeppe
7/5/2023

Location: near Houston, MN

Song Sparrow  
  Gerry Garcia
7/9/2019

Location: Normandale Lake

...hiking Normandale Lake this morning, we came across this little one belting out a beautiful song for us - and the rest of the free world

Song Sparrow  
  Margot Avey
4/16/2019

Location: Westwood Hills Nature Center, St Louis Park, MN

I took this bird photo today at Westwood Nature Center in St Louis Park MN. The bird was singing.

Song Sparrow  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Anna Gronseth Prairie

Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit

Baker Park Reserve

Belgium Prairie

Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park

Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA

Blaine Preserve SNA

Blaine Wetland Sanctuary

Boot Lake SNA

Bur Oak WMA

Butternut Valley Prairie SNA

Cedar Mountain SNA

Clear Lake SNA

Cleary Lake Regional Park

Clinton Falls Dwarf Trout Lily SNA

Cottonwood River Prairie SNA

Crosby Farm Regional Park

Des Moines River SNA

Elm Creek Park Reserve

Foxhome Prairie

Franconia Bluffs SNA

Glacial Lakes Preserve

Grey Cloud Dunes SNA

Hastings Sand Coulee SNA

Helen Allison Savanna SNA

Holthe Prairie SNA

Hyland Lake Park Reserve

Iron Horse Prairie SNA

Jensen Memorial WMA

John Murtaugh Memorial WMA

John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA

Joseph A. Tauer Prairie SNA

Kasota Prairie

Keller Regional Park

Kettledrummer Prairie

Lake Maria State Park

Lawrence Creek SNA

Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Lost Valley Prairie SNA

Maplewood State Park

Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie

McKnight Prairie

Miller Prairie, West Unit

Minnesota Valley NWR, Rapids Lake Unit

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, Lawrence Unit

Mississippi River County Park

Monson Lake State Park

Moose Lake State Park

Mound Spring Prairie SNA, North Unit

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

Myre-Big Island State Park

Ney Nature Center

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Hoffman Unit

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Rengstorf Unit

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Touch the Sky Prairie Unit

Oronoco Prairie SNA

Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo

Pilot Knob

Pine Bend Bluffs SNA

Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit

Racine Prairie SNA

Ripley Esker SNA

Ritter Farm Park

River Terrace Prairie SNA

River Warren Outcrops SNA

Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve

Rockville County Park

Roscoe Prairie SNA

St. Croix Savanna SNA

St. Croix State Park

Sand Prairie Wildlife Management and Environmental Education Area

Savage Fen SNA

Savanna Portage State Park

Sedan Brook SNA

Seminary Fen SNA

Seven Mile Creek County Park

Seven Springs WMA

Shooting Star Prairie SNA

Spring Lake Park Reserve

Spring Lake Regional Park

Springbrook Nature Center

Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve

Sunfish Lake Park

Tamarack Nature Center

Thompson County Park

Tiedemann WMA

Townsend Woods SNA

Tribute WMA

Twin Valley Prairie Addition

Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and WMA

Vermillion River WMA

Whitetail Woods Regional Park

Woodbury WMA

Woodland Trails Park

 

 

 

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