Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Breeding Range. (Fig. 180). Fairly common, locally, throughout the Southwestern Slope Region (most numerous in badlands and valleys along the Missouri River and its tributaries, including the Cannonball, Heart, Knife, Little Missouri, and Yellowstone rivers and numerous smaller streams); uncommon and local in the southern portion of the Agassiz Lake Plain Region (largely restricted to the sand dune area of southern Richland County, to the valleys along the Red and Bois de Sioux rivers in Richland County, and to the sand dune area and adjoining portion of the Sheyenne River valley in northwestern Richland County and eastern Ransom County), in the southeastern portion of the Southern Drift Plain (largely restricted to the Prairie Coteau in southeastern Sargent County, and to the portion of the Sheyenne River valley in northwestern Ransom County and southern Barnes County), and in the Northwestern Drift Plain (largely restricted to the valleys of the Mouse and Des Lacs rivers in Ward and Renville Counties); rare, local and irregular in the valleys along the Sheyenne River in northern Barnes County and Griggs County, along the James River in Stutsman County, and along the Mouse River in McHenry County.
Breeding Habitat. In western North Dakota, silver sage flats that occur on valley floors along streams and in badlands probably represent the optimum breeding habitat for this species. This community consists of mixed-grass prairie that is partially covered by an open canopy of low shrubs. The principal herbaceous plants include needle-and-thread, blue grama, and needleleaf sedge, while silver sage is the chief shrub species, associated with prickly pear cactus and other northern desert shrubs. Other western habitats that are frequently occupied include brushy draws that are dominated by Rocky Mountain cedar, rabbitbrush, skunk sumac, Saskatoon serviceberry, etc.; thickets of tall shrubs and small trees including bullberry, hawthorn, Saskatoon serviceberry, choke cherry, and western rose; and brushy semiopen bur oak - green ash woodland on slopes of badlands and buttes.
In southeastern North Dakota, brushy open woodlands could be considered as the principal breeding habitat type. Characteristic plants in these situations include open groves of bur oak or quaking aspen interspersed with small expanses of native prairie and thickets of smooth sumac, red raspberry and other shrubs.
Nesting. Probable breeding season: Late May to early August. Extreme egg dates (3 nests): June 9 [1967] in McKenzie County (RES) to June 27 [1969] in Sargent County (P. F. Springer). The three nests were situated in shrubs including silver sage and wolfberry, less than 2 feet above the ground.
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| Figure 180. Breeding Range of Field Sparrow. |
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/bbofnd/species/5630.htm
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