Sand-eared Sparrow
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Description:
Small,
slender sparrow with a rounded head, long tail, and a relatively small bill. Brown
above and gray below, with intricately patterned head and two light wingbars. Crown
and lores rich brown, with a tan or sandy-colored cheek patch heavily or darkly
outlined. Streaked on back and underparts but undersides and breast are plain.
Males and females indistinguishable, juveniles browner overall, with heavier
streaking. May best be differentiated from other endemic sparrows by bold facial
pattern or small build.
Voice:
Males
sing a simple song composed of three buzzy trills. Each trill is fast and
short, even in length and usually on the same pitch, though sometimes the third
trill will drop in pitch. Tone very insect-like, the song usually lasts around
three to four seconds. Frequent singers. Calls include a sharp, metallic chit
and a buzzier zee.
Range and Habitat:
Extremely
common, its range covers the entirety of Novasola. Generalists, they are found
in almost all habitat types on the island including coniferous and deciduous
forests and mountains, but they prefer semi-open ecosystems like grassland,
meadows, scrubland and chaparral, savannah, forest edges, juniper and pine
forests, and riparian zones. They are common in developed areas as well,
especially suburban yards, parks, gardens, frequently visiting feeders, and
agricultural areas like orchards, vineyards, and ranches.
Discussion:
The
small but conspicuous Sand-eared Sparrow is the most common sparrow on Novasola,
as well as one of the more common yard birds. Though the smallest of native
sparrows, the “Sandy” is far from timid, and they often appear totally unafraid
of people. This seems especially true in urban areas where the sparrows will
approach people in parks or restaurant parking lots looking for food. Sandies
seem equally unafraid of natural dangers and will fend off predators
aggressively.
Though
Sand-eared Sparrows prefer areas with some trees, they usually stay low or near
the ground. Year-round they eat mostly seeds and grains, but in the summer the
bulk of their diet will be comprised of invertebrates like flies, crickets, and
beetles. They are commonly seen visiting bird feeders and crop fields. Theirs
is an active foraging style, moving quickly along the ground or perches in
short bursts of flight or small hops. A social species, Sandies will usually
forage in small to medium-sized flocks and can often be found in mixed-species
flocks, especially around reliable sources of food and water, like feeders.
Flocks
will separate during the breeding season however, and males will defend
territories from other males, mostly through song. The Sand-eared Sparrow’s
song is simple, and similar to the related Clay-colored Sparrow and Chipping
Sparrow songs, and it is a familiar sound of spring woodlands and meadows.
Females will build nests in shrubs or trees, usually no more than five meters
off the ground. In suburban areas, nests can often be found in gardens, barns,
and porches. Pairs may raise two to three broods a year.
As
a member of the genus Spizella, the Sand-eared Sparrow is closely
related to the Clay-colored Sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow of mainland
North America, to which it fills a similar niche. While the Sand-eared Sparrow
is generally non-migratory, vagrants have been recorded in North America in
Alaska and Canada, and, after accidental introductions by cargo ships, small
populations have established themselves in some North American cities, mainly
Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA. In both cases the Sand-eared Sparrows have been
known to hybridize with the local Chipping Sparrows. Sandies are the only member of Spizella with generally dark bills, and their hybrids often have this tell-tale mark.
Learning
Novasolan sparrows can often pose a challenge for beginner birders as they can
be difficult to tell apart, but most people first start with the Sand-eared
Sparrow, whose small size, boldly patterned faces, and sheer abundance make it
an easy bird to familiarize with. While many sparrow observations are just
flashes of brownish movement in-between bushes or reeds, the Sandy’s active
behavior and comfort around humans and human environments give bird-watchers
and feeder enthusiasts alike the best chance of observing birds of this group.
“Just
as the sun is sure to rise in the East and tides are sure to rise and fall, so
too can one be certain that springtime meadows in the Novasola country will
echo and ring with the chittering buzzes of the Sand-eared Sparrow song, if we
could be generous to so call it. Hardly musical is their sharp trilling, which
more resembles the striking together of two coins’ grooved edges, but they nevertheless
are persistent in producing such sounds. The Sparrows sing at all hours of
daylight during their breeding months, which quickly becomes a familiar
soundtrack to fields and forests alike, given their outstanding abundance. The
Sand-eared Sparrow rivals any bird for its commonness in villages, towns, and
farmland. Every of Cape George’s gardens and picket fences have on one morning
or another played host to a jittery flock of the bird, and I have gathered the
same must be true of every borough in the Fastwaters.” – Native Birds of
Novasola, 1912
“Though
preparations for our excursion have me engrossed and receive nearly all of my
attentions, it would be erroneous for me to claim I have no focus elsewhere.
Under the excitement of a world new to me, I find myself too often captivated
by things which I have no present time for. But worry not, I soon shall engross
myself in such things.
…
The
local sparrow is one such example. With so much work to be done in such short
time, I have none to devote to the study of the small sparrow which is so
numerous here in town. Three of the birds seem to have made habit of feeding
among the rose bushes outside the schoolhouse’s north window, and I watch them
flit between the neighbor’s mulberry and crabapple trees. I know full well I soon
must study these sparrows in great detail, but at present must wait for the
expeditions to begin and hope the birds are as common along our route as they
are here.” – Richard Reichwald, letter to his mother, March 1902
“The
Massalick headwaters have disappointed many of our party in its inability to provide
us scientists with anything new. The sage and grass country here seems no
different than the weeks before, and give no indication of discoveries to be
had beyond cartography. This morning, as the Captain and Mr. Mackenzie debated
names for the most near bluff or such, a chorus of Sand-eared Sparrows begun on
both sides of the river, as they have now for every morning in the prairie, until
by 10 o’clock we were all but deaf to anything but the buzzing. Thrice that
morning I observed Sand-ears fly from one bank to the other, and once did a bird
land on our canoe. For the lack of any other excitement today or many before,
we elected to name today’s stretch of country ‘Sparrow Flats.’” – Expedition log,
June 9, 1902