Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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Sparrows of North Dakota

Unstreaked Sparrows

3. Lark Sparrow

Chondestes grammacus
Length-6 1/2 inches
BREEDING SPECIES
Central Breast Spot

Head pattern in adults one of the most distinctive. White and chestnut striped head, chestnut ear patch directly behind and below the eye. Has a single, dark spot in the center of an otherwise completely whitish-gray breast. Rounded tail with white corners also one of the best identifying characteristics. Sexes similar. Lives on the ground on prairies, abandoned fields and along country roadways. More common in western North Dakota. Feeds, sometimes by hopping, on weed and grass seeds, grasshoppers and other insects. Nests on the ground at the base of a small plant or in a lower branch of a shrub or tree. Nest made of grasses, weed stems and small twigs.

Previous Sparrow -- Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
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Next Sparrow -- Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)

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