Song Sparrow

The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized sparrow.

Adults have brown upperparts with dark streaks on the back and are white underneath with dark streaking and a dark brown spot in the middle of the breast. They have a brown cap and a long brown tail. Their face is grey with a streak through the eye. There are regional variations in this bird's appearance across its range.

Their breeding habitat is brushy areas and marshes, including salt marshes, across most of Canada and the United States. They nest either in a sheltered location on the ground or in trees or shrubs.

In southern locations, they are permanent residents. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States or northern Mexico.

Song Sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, with a few recorded in Great Britain and Norway.

These birds forage on the ground, in shrubs or in very shallow water. They mainly eat insects and seeds. Birds in salt marshes may also eat crustaceans.

This bird uses its melodious and fairly complex song to declare ownership of its territory. It is fairly common throughout its range.