They are more pointed at the small end than is common in this genus. The eggs are four or five, of a bright greenish-blue colour, slightly marked with dark and light-brown spots, chiefly distributed towards the larger end. It is small and comparatively slender, being formed of a scanty collection of fine dried grass, and lined with horse or cow hair. It reaches Louisiana, the Carolinas, and other southern districts in November, and returns about the middle of March to the Middle and Eastern States, where it breeds.Įarly in May the Chipping Sparrow has already formed its nest, which it has placed indifferently in the apple or peach tree of the orchard or garden, in any evergreen bush or cedar, high or low, as it may best suit, but never on the ground. Should the weather be cold it enters the barnyard, and even presents itself in the piazza. The sandy roads exposed to the sun's rays are daily visited by it, where, among the excrement of horses and cattle, it searches for food, or among the tall grasses of our old fields it seeks for seeds, small berries, and insects of various kinds. So social is it in its character that you see it at that season in company with the Song Sparrow, the White-throated, the Savannah, the Field, and almost every other species of the genus. Abundant in the whole of the Middle States during spring, summer, and autumn it removes to the southern parts to spend the winter, and there you may meet with it in flocks almost anywhere, even in the open woods. It inhabits the towns, villages, orchards, gardens, borders of fields, and prairie grounds. Click here to visit this species' account and breeding-season distribution map in Sound to Sage, Seattle Audubon's on-line breeding bird atlas of Island, King, Kitsap, and Kittitas Counties.Few birds are more common throughout the United States than this gentle and harmless little Bunting. In other parts of western Washington, they are rare. They are also found in the western Cascades at higher elevations. On the Olympic Peninsula, they are uncommon from Hurricane Ridge to Dungeness. Similar habitat in the San Juan Islands sustains a population that is currently common, but declining. The open, grassy farmlands in southwest Washington provide good habitat, and some Chipping Sparrows can be seen in Clark County. In western Washington, they are most commonly found around Fort Lewis and other forest clearings in Pierce, Thurston, and southwest King Counties. They are uncommon in western Washington, with a patchy distribution often closely tied to stands of oak (Quercus spp.). The Washington Gap Analysis Project considers them an at-risk species in this state.Ĭhipping Sparrows are common in open pine forests and other appropriate habitat throughout eastern Washington. According to the Breeding Bird Survey, Chipping Sparrows have experienced a significant decline statewide since 1966. In Washington, Chipping Sparrows are common east of the Cascades, but declining in the San Juan Islands and on the Olympic Peninsula due to loss of prairie habitat and increase in Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism. The population is still likely to be greater than it was before European settlement. Since the 1900s, Chipping Sparrow populations have been declining due to habitat loss, Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism, and competition with House Sparrows and House Finches. The population peaked in the 1850s, when it was the most common city sparrow. Originally, the Chipping Sparrow was probably not a common species, but may have benefited from European settlement. Although the Chipping Sparrow is still common and widespread across its range, its population has ebbed and flowed as a result of human influences.
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