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Platte River Status: Rare and local summer resident at the extreme western edge of the study area. Rosche (1974) reported that Cassin's sparrows were heard singing near Wellfleet, Lincoln County during June 1974.

Breeding Range: Restricted primarily to the Western Plain and Sandhills physiographic regions.

Breeding Population: Ten territorial male Cassin's sparrows were recorded in Sec 16, T. 12 N., R. 45 W., Deuel County on 12 June 1976 (Faanes et al. 1979). Two singing males were again recorded at that site on 5 June 1979. Two singing males were found in Sec. 34, T. 17 N., R. 43 W., Garden County on 4 June 1980. Nebraska Bird Review (42: 56-57, 1974) contains a description of a Cassin's sparrow nest found in Perkins County, Nebraska, 5 June 1974. Cassin's sparrow was also reported during the 1974 breeding season in Garden, Hayes, Lincoln, and Morrill counties, Nebraska. T. E. Labedz recorded Cassin's sparrow near Lisco, Garden County, in 1986.

Habitat: The Deuel County site was made up of sandy grasslands dominated by rabbitbrush, prairie sandreed, red three-awn, needle-and-thread, and downy brome. Important forbs included dwarf sage, prickly poppy, plains prickly pear, and silverleaf scurf pea. The Garden County site was in sandy grasslands dominated by needle-and-thread, and soapweed yucca. The general aspect of Platte River habitats occupied by Cassin's sparrow is similar to that described by Hubbard (1977) as "grassland in which grow scattered to moderately dense mixtures of shrublike plants." Hubbard also noted the avoidance of pure grassland and dense shrubland by this bird. This may explain why Cassin's sparrow is restricted to small areas of shrubby grasslands in southwestern Nebraska. The mean density of breeding Cassin's sparrows found on our study area was 1.7 pairs/km².

Effect of Habitat Alteration: We have few comparative data available to allow an analysis of habitat alteration impacts on Cassin's sparrow. Conversion of sandy shrub-dominated grassland habitats in Deuel and Garden counties would negatively impact this species; there is no indication that Cassin's sparrow occupied land used for agricultural crop production.

Nesting Data: We have no confirmed records of nests or eggs in the study area. Johnsgard (1979) reported that mean clutch size among four Kansas nests was 3.8 eggs, and that eggs are laid in Kansas between mid May and mid July.