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Saturday, September 29, 2018

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Harris's Sparrow




Uncommon and local, the wintering flock chooses brushy areas around riparian corridors near water.  The species tends to mix well with other sparrows and stands out for its size as our largest sparrow.

Adult songbirds have a lovely color, including the characteristic white face and belly, as well as light gray or brown cheeks.  Only breeding in central Northern Canada in the Nunavet and Northwest Territories of the Boreal Forest, this sparrow is definitely one to be noticed, with the pink bill setting off its good looks.

As a lover of the grassland ecology, it is no surprise that this perching bird chooses to winter in the southern Great Plains through central Texas with open woods and brush piles, as well as the edges of bordering states.  Harsh weather tends to force them from the prairie provinces of Canada.


                                                                Harris's Sparrow
                                                          Boomer Lake Park 2016

Named by John James Audubon after amateur American ornithologist and naturalist Edward Harris, its song will usually be carried from a high perch.  They are expected to arrive in the Great Plains commonly through the month of November and early December, though early migrants have been recorded.  It will sometimes visit feeders for outstanding views of its countenance.  A group of Harris's Sparrows is known as a poll.

Immature birds will show a brown striped head, with a more orange toned bill.  This species will likely be affected by climate change due to logging, fires, and soil change on the breeding grounds, which will influence its preferred brushy habitat.

This bird only breeds in Canada, and is only native there and in the US.




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