Birds › New World Sparrows
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
29 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Sounds
- Recording by Ryan Douglas (XC1005250). CC-BY-SA · Source
Easily confused with
Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
House SparrowPasser domesticus
White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 186,750 |
|---|---|
| Nunavut | 73,209 |
| Canada | 67,931 |
| California | 45,346 |
| Ontario | 27,439 |
| British Columbia | 18,131 |
| Washington | 13,720 |
| Quebec | 11,324 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,857 |
| Massachusetts | 9,416 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Dietary
- OmnivoreFeeds on both plants and animalsBIRDBASE avian traits database
Group and habits
- Cup nestingListed by a harvested source as building cup nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Shrub nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in shrubs.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Ground nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on the ground.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Perching Birds · Passeriformes |
| Family | New World Sparrows · Passerellidae |
| Genus | Melospiza Sparrows · Melospiza |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Canton, Ohio, United States
- Birds of Centre Wellington, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Gallatin County, Montana, United States
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Song Sparrow with real photos from different observers and its recordings. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.