Savannah Sparrow -- South Dakota Birds
| Length: 5.75 inches | Wingspan: 8 - 9.5 inches | Seasonality: Summer/Migrant |
| ID Keys: Heavily streaked chest, thin white crown stripe, distinct facial pattern | ||
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
The Savannah Sparrow is a ground-dwelling sparrow found in a wide variety of open grassy/marshy habitats. Sometimes confusing for birders, several different races exist with a variety of colorations. They were first named for Savannah, Georgia, the city in which they were originally identified and described.
Habitat: Open habitat including prairies, meadows, rangeland, pastures, salt marshes, other wetland edges, dunes, shores.
Diet: Primarily feeds on insects in the summer. Also feeds on seeds and berries, especially in the winter. Populations along the coast will also feed on small crustaceans and mollusks.
Nesting: May through July
Breeding Map: Breeding Bird Survey map
Song: 2 "chip" notes followed by a buzzy trill. To listen to this bird, click here to go to the E-nature.com site for this species, and click on the "listen to this bird" message near the top.
Migrations: Summers through all of Canada and Alaska, and most of the northern half of the U.S. Winters in the southern half of the U.S., Mexico, and Central America.
Similar Species: Vesper Sparrow, Song Sparrow
Status: Stable throughout most of its range.
Further Information: 1) USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Savannah Sparrow
2) Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Savannah Sparrow
3) eNature.com: Savannah Sparrow
Photo Information: May 26th, 2003 -- Minnehaha County -- Terry Sohl
Additional Photos: Click on the image chips or text links below for additional, higher-resolution Savannah Sparrow photos.
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| South Dakota Status: Common to uncommon migrant and summer resident, with higher breeding numbers in the northeastern part of the state. |
| Additional Savannah Sparrow Photos | ||
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| Savannah Sparrow 1 | Savannah Sparrow 2 | Savannah Sparrow 3 |
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| Savannah Sparrow 5 | ||
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Range Map Reference: NatureServe
Click here for other references used to compile this page
Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
This page was last edited on 02/03/08