Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


Home	About NPWRC	Our Science	Staff	Employment	Contacts	Common Questions	About the Site

Sparrows of North Dakota

Unstreaked Sparrows

2. Field Sparrow

Spizella pusilla
Length-5 3/4 inches
BREEDING SPECIES

Has a gray face and neck with a rusty coloration on top of the head and a distinct white eye ring. Beak is an orangish-pink color. Lacks any striping on top of head or face. Back is streaked and breast is a pale grayish-white. Two white wing bars on each wing. Legs pink. Fairly common species found in brushy grasslands, tree rows and open woodlands. Found more in central and western areas of the state than in the extreme north and east. Feeds on the ground for beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, flies, and spiders. Also will eat grass and weed seeds. Nests on or near the ground in clump of weeds, or tufts of grass from ground level to three feet high. Nest made of coarse, dead grasses.

Previous Sparrow -- Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
Return to Sparrow List
Next Sparrow -- Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/sparrow/unst2.htm
Page Contact Information: Webmaster
Page Last Modified: Friday, 01-Feb-2013 19:57:25 EST
Menlo Park, CA [caww54]