Half the state will see the Vesper Sparrow as a winter resident (in the southern half) and the northern half will see it as a migrant.
As a short grass prairie breeder it often perches on barbed wire or small trees, not mixing with other sparrow species in the Northern US and Canada. In the winter, it can be found in loose flocks upon agricultural fields or dry and sparsely vegetated pastures. It is best to look for them in full song at that time, as they are at their least shy during the breeding season.
Rarely observed, it has a small red shoulder patch, thin white eyering, flashes white outer tail feathers while in flight, and sings a sweet series of trills within the vespers of twilight.
They will quickly settle in abandoned farm fields and old mines as they revert to their forest stature.
These ground dwellers and nesters scratch upon the ground and take frequent dust baths. After the breeding season, they will migrate south and forage with mixed sparrow species that include Brewer's, Savannah, and Grasshopper Sparrows, as well as the Lark Bunting.
Vesper Sparrow
Boomer Lake Park, 2015
Populations are declining to some degree due to likely loss of grassland habitat, frequent mowing of fields, early harvest, and hedgerow removal. Certain populations could become threatened or endangered due to this continued activity in the eastern ranges, but in general, they are still a species of low concern. They enjoy meadows with open soil, stubble fields, and grassy areas above sandy beaches.
They are rather early spring migrants and return later in the fall. They usually have been peaking in May and October.
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